Jumps display bookmarks, paragraphs and headings of the text in a separate always on top window which makes it convenient and comfortable to navigate the text. The colors and pretty much any design parameter can be changed in the program’s option to allow the user to select his own fonts, colors and page layout.

The repository which was mentioned earlier is not part of the original text but is connected to it. It can be filled with ideas and text that is not yet ready to be included in the real text document. Texts can be saved in text format only with the option to export markup – like bold or italic text – so that it can be viewed correctly in web browsers and word processors.

Another interesting feature is the progress bar which can be used to define a text length which is often required when writing journalistic texts or essays. The very same menu contains countless statistics about the text that has been written so far and a function called sprint writing which will limit the writing time. Both the text progress and the time limit can be displayed in the main interface.

Additional features:

• Customizable Printing
• Spell Checker
• Multi Monitor Support
• Firefox Integration
• Auto Backups, History
• Replacements (add predefined text by writing shortcuts)
• Bookmarks

The main problem that many writers will face is that the document can only be saved in text format which might require a few additional steps in another word processor to save the document in another format or to beautify it before publishing it or sending it in.

Write Monkey (via Tech Yard) is a portable application for the Windows operating system that requires the Microsoft .net Framework 2.0 or higher

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JDarkRoom is a free alternative which uses Java, allowing it to be used under Linux, OS X and Windows. JDarkRoom even operates on eeePCs, providing a non-resource hogging word processor.

JDarkRoom is customisable. Should you dislike the Matrix-like green-on-black colour scheme, through pressing F6 you can choose any colours you want (providing you know their RGB values) and if you dislike the somewhat monotonous font, that can also be changed. Margins and font sizes can also be changed through the preference menu at F6.

JDarkRoom definitely utilises a minimalist approach to word processing, I cannot even spot an italicise option, but is nonetheless an efficient one.

I do have a few minor complaints with JDarkRoom. When saving a file, you are presented with your operating system’s default box for saving files, which breaks the minimalist GUI. I do not see why you can not just specify a path to which to save it. JDarkRoom also takes a couple of seconds to quit, which is once again an annoyance.

JDarkRoom is well worth a shot and if like me, you are prone to procrastinate and lose concentration, it may be for you. Perhaps if I used it, I would write more posts here!

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The introductory paragraph no doubt sounds confusing, but the idea is that content and presentation are separated. Software like LyX expects the user to tell it the documents structure – such as marking where titles are – and LyX will then concern itself with the aesthetics, so the user need not fuss with fonts.

LyX is a free, cross-platform and open source word processor based on LaTeX mark-up language. LaTeX is designed to allow formulae and other such things to be easily inserted into documents, making LyX particularly useful when writing scientific or mathematical documents. LyX is currently available for Windows (2000 upwards), Linux and Mac OS X although builds operate for other operating systems.

I have only used LyX under Ubuntu as it requires the installation of TeX, which totals up to about 300MB. This put deterred me from installing it on my MacBook Pro, which barely has 10GB free space! LyX ran smoothly under Ubuntu, which is no surprise as it will be aimed primarily at Linux users.

Regarding usability, it takes some getting used to not having to deal with aesthetics. I found myself searching for the font dialog for about 20 minutes, before realising fonts were not essential in this program. It is quite easy to get typing but the transition between software like OpenOffice and Pages to this really was not natural. As I’m not a scientist, I rarely use LyX although I have no doubt it is useful for them (several of my friends have vouched for it!).

LyX can export into several formats, including PDFs and DOCs. It is also capable of handling right-to-left writing systems, like Hebrew and Arabic, and allows graphics to be inserted into documents.

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