vkc via PeerTubeWriterdeck: my tty-only laptop for maximum focus
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SavaA writerDeck is a device dedicated specifically and solely to writing. If you want a distraction free writing device and have an old laptop to spare you can try my take on a writer deck using Arch, btw!
ewen_cluney.txtRandomly remembered that in the early 2000s my dad gave me a Compaq C120 palmtop out of the blue. It ran Windows CE and transferring files was annoying, but I used it a ton for writing (and also solitaire). #writerdeck
Brick DuckThis week I read the excellent @veronicaexplains blog about setting up a writerdeck, and was inspired to do my own, based on her guide.
Instead of Vim though, I chose Micro. I ended up not using tmux so I wrote a small plugin battery % and charging state in Micro's status line.
My write-up is at https://woltman.com/a-writerdeck-experiment/ and the plugin is at https://codeberg.org/johnwoltman/micro-batt-status
EiderIn which I fix things, break things, and rescue an old chromebook. #writerdeck @veronica , @tinker
Kroc CamenCoining the term "Dumb-book" | "Dumbbook" | "Dumbook" -- here and now -- to refer to specifically a laptop-like device that, like the "dumbphone", is a mostly-offline, single or narrow-purpose device, e.g. a #writerdeck
Not to be confused with a #cyberdeck, which is a general-purpose device; the delineating factor that separates a notebook from a dumbbook being a fully-featured web browser. If it runs Chrome, it *cannot* be classed as a dumbbook.
("Dumbbook" includes repurposed laptops with minimal OSes installed such as FreeDOS, writerdeckos.com etc.)
Pleased with the folding MagSafe stand I got to use with my #BYOK. Yesterday I took it to a local diner to work on Xeroverse Book 2. #writerdeck
JThis is absolutely brilliant.
Step-by-step guide for basically anyone interested in making their own writerdeck by a writer -
https://veronicaexplains.net/my-first-writerdeck/
She goes on in a second article to FAQ from the first one. So read that one too!
It's time to talk about my writerdeck
tldr: * I installed console-only Debian on an old laptop (no desktop OS at all) * I added some packages to make it work better for writing: * network-manager for connecting to hotspots while I'm away * kmscon for custom fonts and more than 16 colors in the tty * tmux for a nice status
As they say, "Aww Sh!t". The unfortunate side of these 25-30 year old machines is that the plastics are failing. With me using mine so much, the door to the Compact Flash slot cracked. I used some epoxy resin to repair it, but whilst trying to wriggle the door free from being glued in the open position, the whole thing tore apart :(
Thankfully, it doesn't prevent the device from working as the sense switch for the door is in the corner where it pivots, and the stylus is on a spring-lock.
I've put close to 60 hours of writing into this device since starting the book (https://camendesign.com/nomad) and I'm pushing to get the new chapter finished for the end of the month.
I wish we had replacement cases for these, but the community is so incredibly small we can't afford to have these re-manufactured, if we could even get the design recreated correctly :/
kæt@h4ckernews a bit of convergent evolution! I use Ubuntu running focuswriter in full screen mode and monospace fonts in black and white. I configure it to have blank sidebars to get line length and font size ratio right. I save to a USB stick, for easy emergency removal and cos the laptop is old, with daily backups to the HDD for looking through revisions. These are then backed up to another USB on my keyring for theft, etc. The laptop is an old Latitude E5440 with a new battery, and is built like a tank. No networking configured, no Bluetooth. My two priorities are attention and hardware failure. But the Latitude also helps build arm muscle, :-D #writerdeck