A new app by Metaclassy, aims at bringing a minimal, focused writing environment to the Mac. The OS X platform isn't new to this kind of applications that want to take the distraction away from your writing experience: Ommwriter for Mac tried to provide an uncluttered background for your text that, eventually, turned into a distracting experience for many due to the use of sounds and animations; the usual Text Edit, on the other hand, still maintains a strong hold on users with its minimal UI and powerful text editing features. When combined with apps like, Text Edit can become the ultimate writing app for the Mac. Byword, however, wants to step up the game with a really minimal interface made of no toolbars, and just text on a light background.

You can run the app in its own window, but Byword is meant for distraction-less fullscreen mode that will feel just right on Lion, but works well on Snow Leopard as well. When you're writing in Byword, nothing else is on screen. Just you and the cursor. As you move the mouse, Byword will display two icons in the upper right corner: one to search for text within a document, one to exit fullscreen mode. You can also toggle fullscreen with the keyboard using CMD+Enter. As far as documents are concerned, Byword doesn't provide an 'organizing interface' like iPhoto or iTunes to see all your files: just like Text Edit, you create a new blank document and then save it or discard it.

I can see the developers already implemented the 'Revert to Saved' menu item for Lion's Versions, which is of course grayed out on Snow Leopard. Right now, you're still forced to manually. In the future? Byword will do it for you.

Byword supports both plain and rich text editing; you can switch between them with a keyboard shortcut (this app associates almost any function with a keyboard shortcut) and even trigger an iOS-like popover menu for rich text editing. Thanks to the keyboard support, this is very useful to me. Beautiful typography aside, there's something in Byword that reminds me of IA Writer for the iPad: the possibility to focus on a single line or paragraph as you're typing. By hitting your preferred keyboard shortcut (CMD+1 for a single line, 2 for two lines, etc - or CMD+ALT+T for a paragraph), you can make Byword dim the rest of the text for you to focus on what you're writing. Just like IA Writer, you'll either love or hate this feature. Personally, I prefer to see my whole document all the time.

Byword is not for everyone: if you're a heavy multitasker because your work requires you to be one, you won't be able to appreciate Byword's focused and minimal approach. If you, however, want to get back the pleasure of writing without any distraction, you.

Writing tools have been around on the Mac since the very beginning with MacWrite in 1984. Years later there was WriteNow, Word, and many, many others. Even today, Apple publishes Pages so people can write without having to buy a word processor.

The past few years, actually since the advent of the Mac App Store, we’ve seen a plethora of new writing tools that range in capability from simple notes apps to a suite of tools to write the next novel using a project app. In between the extremes are dozens of apps and more than a few carry new age buzzwords, including ‘ distraction free.’ What does that even mean?

Came across my Mac screen last year; one of many word processor-like apps I try in search for the ultimate WriteNow replacement. UFocus’ name should be a harbinger of what is to come. Distraction free is all the rage here in the 21st century and uFocus joined the parade. Distraction free sounds as if the interface has a minimum of, well, distractions– the typical palettes and toolbars, floating around this or that; or popup options that, for lack of a better word, distract a writer from writing. Let’s call distraction free writing what it really is. Feature free.

No Distraction The Best Writing App For Mac

Sure, you can smother a pig’s lips with lipstick, but it won’t get a date with your brother. A pig with lipstick is still a pig. Alright, I’m not saying uFocus is a pig. As a distraction free and minimalist word processor it’s quite good but it’s a crowded field of entrants, each with much the same featureless feature list. Simple interface.

Text statistics. Highlights.

Keyboard shortcuts. Typewriter scrolling. Markdown. Fullscreen mode. iCloud saving; autosave.

Multiple themes and fonts What uFocus does is open almost every kind of text file, and save files in a file structure; stories, chapters, sections, whatever and however you prefer; all easily accessible from the lefthand sidebar. For what it does, this is quite good. Keyboard shortcuts are a Mac power user’s friend, and uFocus gives you enough to navigate without having to think (unless you can’t remember the keyboard shortcuts; then those menus that are not there would look inviting, no?). Jump from one sentence to another. Add typewriter keyboard sounds as you type (how is that not distracting?). Still, uFocus has much going for it in another area.

If it’s not features, then it must be usability and here it’s a pleasure. You won’t be bothered by floating tool palettes or distracting toolbars. Just type and while you type focus on what you see on the screen (it will be the same as what you’re typing).

Personally, I prefer to see what I’m typing and what I just typed (mostly so I can see if I agree with myself). UFocus gets mixed reviews, but all good, not bad, and it’s free to try.