__|__
-------O-------
    o´   `o

Accessible Writing on Computers

Wednesday, 9 March 2011

Wouldn’t good, clear writing be best served by a web browser-based word processor? Can plain text, HTML and PDF replace .doc file formats for written documents?

I think so.

The days of desktop-based software for written documents are coming to an end.1 The future is in the web browser. The following tools exist:

  • Markdown – For writing readable plain text that feels right and automatically converted to HTML.
  • Wysiwym Editor – What You See Is What You Mean editor which uses Markdown – produces clean semantic HTML, leaving presentation details like fonts and colors up to style sheets. As you type, WMD’s live preview shows you exactly what your text will look like after the current styles have been applied. Another alternative is jquery-markedit – a jQuery branch/re-write of WMD Editor.
  • PDF Libraries – to convert text or HTML to PDF.
  • Git – Distributed version control system for tracking document changes and helping collaboration.
  • Django – Modern web framework, for perfectionists with deadlines.
  • Good web browsers and inspiring addons.

These are all free, open source software based on open standards.

Modern web browsers can run applications offline using local storage. Plain text is a simple, universal interface. Where is the browser word processor that will replace Word and other bloated office applications for writing on computers? This is not only about efficiency.

Etherpad came close, then was bought by Google and swallowed into Google Docs. Fortunately the source code was released as open source and is available for use on your own server. But, it is Java, and I worry about Java’s future on the web. When was the last time you heard of a great web application written in Java?

We need a web-based writing application that can also be used offline, which synchronizes with an application that can be installed on one’s own server. Free and open source. Preferably written in Python, but any good language for web development will do!

1 Yes, I have changed my mind about OpenDocument. 

     __|__
-------O-------
    o´   `o

|