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Distraction-free Writing Is Distracting to Me

November 24th, 2009 (4:00pm) Will Kelly 8 Comments

Like over 300,000 other Mac users who downloaded the MacHeist nanoBundle (as covered by Simon), I received WriteRoom as part of the package’s bevy of software. This lightweight word processor promises distraction-free writing. Having read about it and the productivity concepts underlying it in the past (here’s an old WWD post from Leo about distraction-free writing tools, for example), I was interested in giving it a spin to see if it could help me.

In a word, I found WriteRoom distracting. Here’s why: Read the rest of this entry »

New MacHeist nanoBundle Is Free

November 6th, 2009 (12:00pm) Simon Mackie 1 Comment

MacHeistNanoMacHeist is well-known for packaging together and heavily discounting some great Mac apps. As reported over on TheAppleBlog, though, the latest MacHeist bundle, the “MacHeist nanoBundle” will cost you precisely nothing — zilch, zip, nada.

The bundle contains six apps that would normally collectively retail for $149:

  • ShoveBox — A clippings organizer that lets you capture, view, organize and edit data.
  • WriteRoom — A simple, distraction-free word processor that Sam wrote about here.
  • Twitterrific — A Twitter client.
  • TinyGrab — A screenshot utility that I reviewed last week.
  • Hordes of Orcs — A tower defense game.
  • Mariner Write  — A full word processor, unlocked when 500,000 people have downloaded the bundle.

The bundle is only available for a limited time (there are six days left as I type this), so go grab it now.

Zen Computing: Toward a Distraction-Free Desktop

January 16th, 2009 (4:00pm) Samuel Dean 10 Comments

Early last year, I did a roundup called 12 Top Zen Apps to Keep You Focused.  It focused on a number of free tools in the category of zenware–mostly applications that do away with the clutter you typically find on your computing desktop.

Some of the readers of that original post suggested some more zenware applications that they like, and I keep seeing new ones, so here is a zenware update.

Read the rest of this entry »

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