[omar_alt]

A simple low energy computer that does one task like word processing or act as a terminal client with an ink display would be a useful for focusing on one task without distraction. I personally would love to have a low energy terminal device that I could work in for hours however my pessimism tells me there is not enough demand to scale this.

[prmoustache]

Those things already exist: https://shop.boox.com/collections/eink-tablet

Associated with the keyboard of your choice.

But also very easy to DIY by plugging an old laptop or a raspberry pi to an e-ink display/monitor and set it up to automatically start a text editor at boot time. Even a raspberry pi zero would handle that task superbly. I am not sure what prevents you to do that except lazyness if this is really something you want.

[roywiggins]

The problem with DIYing things with a Pi, I find, is that you inevitably end up with a fragile nest of wires and not a device you can rely on not to have been cannibalized (probably by oneself) or unplugged or disassembled to make room for other stuff. Not conducive to something like a bombproof note taking device that's always on standby- and good luck if you want it to be portable or even luggable.

[nottorp]

> I am not sure what prevents you to do that except lazyness if this is really something you want.

The problem with a general use machine is you can always alt tab out and procrastinate. If you're the one who set it up, you're the one who can un set it up.

[prmoustache]

I am pretty sure that as long as you have a phone/laptop at home you are as much ready to put the focused machine aside for what you think will be a few seconds in order to procrastinate.

[nottorp]

It does make it a bit harder. Also... NEW TOY.

[mattkevan]

I use my Newton eMate as a distraction-free writing device.

The keyboard is great, NewtonWorks is a surprisingly powerful office suite and it syncs nicely with the Mac through a serial-to-usb adapter.

[mft_]

For many years, my father used an NEC 8201a [0] for just this purpose - sitting comfortably writing without distraction. He’d later feed the text into his PC for layout.

It also had BASIC, which I used to play with – and at one later point, I even wrote a little program in Visual Basic to simplify the process of transferring text from the NEC to his PC, including getting rid of the many erroneous carriage returns that the process otherwise inserted.

[0] https://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?st=1&c=334

[maguay]

The closest, today, feels like eInk tablet devices like the Remarkable—though it's built more for sketching and handwriting notes than typing.

[detritus]

Such as this?

https://getfreewrite.com/

[lproven]

Not really. You can't edit.

I don't write on paper because, as someone who's been reading and writing for half a century now, I learned to write for a living on devices where I could edit the text as I go.

And it's so much better than pen and paper, where every mistake is permanent.

I don't want to hand write on my computer. Draw, yes, but not scribble. I want a keyboard and editing: cursor keys, delete in 2 directions, copy and paste.

Freewrite does not do that. It's a typewriter, but digital.

[detritus]

Well blow me, I had no idea it was thusly limited. What a weird decision!

[lproven]

I only found out myself in the owners' group on Facebook.

No cursor keys should have been a giveaway. Later hardware revisions can run a later ROM which adds cursor control using alpha keys, in a way that by the sound of it reminds me of WordStar or Vi in the 1970s.

[mattl]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AlphaSmart had some cool devices and they’re still usable today.

[voltaireodactyl]

I still use one plenty. The batteries just lasting forever is such an incredible feature. Plus the Mac layout keyboard.

[mattl]

Yeah I love mine.

[Vrondi]

Have a look at the old Tandy m100. AA batteries, and you can type for days without distractions on a mechanical keyboard.

Or, pick up any Android based e-ink ereader and plug in a keyboard.

[the-printer]

I am interested in starting a Guild based on this practice.

[thejosh]

Would the refresh rate not be an issue for this?

[prvc]

The Freewrite has been around for a while.

[lproven]

See my reply above.