FYI thriller writer Matt Gemmell, who's written several novels (almost?) exclusively in Ulysses on his iPad, guests on the latest iPad Pros podcast, in which he discusses Ulysses

https://ipadpros.net/2022/04/21/episode-139-writing-novels-with-matt-gemmell/

My objection to everything going in one big file in Ulysses is that I didn't want one database to rule them all. Blog posts, novel(s), letters to fussy Aunt Mabel, essays, and whatever other drivel I write should not, in my humble view, all go in the same pot. I think Ulysses now allows external folders, which I would probably use.

Currently, I'm back in the Mellel camp for word processing. Nisus is nice. Mellel is heavy artillery (and an acquired taste).

My markdown editor of choice, at least currently, is BBEdit on the Mac. If I were on Windows, there is no question for me - VEDIT by Greenview Data is the king of all editors. I first bought it in about 1985, back when upscale PC's had ten megabyte hard drives and 640k of memory, and it is still in active development.

VEDIT will edit ASCII and EBCDIC. EBCDIC is both rare and weird, but there's nothing like the feeling of translating EBCIDC files to ASCII when other available tools could not and everyone else has given up.

VEDIT will also open a disk as a file. Debugging a FAT filesystem is pretty cool when you can grab it by the ears and edit it in hex display mode.

The macro language is a thing of beauty, too.

I wrote piles and piles of both prose and code with VEDIT. Sigh. The good old days.

On Linux, even though I'm Word-hostile I think I'd install SoftMaker Office, which is an MS Office work-alike. I think I'd also write more in Markdown.

I was an emacs patriot for many years. Having to admin Solaris systems swung me over to vim. I might repolarize back to emacs for Markdown. Or, I might just go with muscle memory for commands and keep using vim.

I share your doubts concerning the single Ulysses database. I much prefer single files. The reason I like markdown is because of the minimal footprint/maximum accessibility – there are so. many. markdown. editors! Not to mention markdown-friendly search tools.

I've had occasion to move swathes of markdown notes from one management tool to another, and still find the ease with which you can do that very gratifying.

Typora is a lovely, lovely editor! But I've been pleased to see 1Writer make something of a comeback on iOS. It totally disappeared for a while...

Ulysses has allowed external folders since early 2020. (On iOS I think you are restricted to using Dropbox.)

https://help.ulysses.app/kb/guide/en/ulysses-library-1ixlk3xF76/Steps/997891

That said, I mainly use the app’s database and have never had any issue.

satis wrote:

Ulysses has allowed external folders since early 2020. (On iOS I think
you are restricted to using Dropbox.)

Inspire Writer added this feature in May 2019.

Apples and... Windows.

In the end, it's what you do with software, not what software does for you.

Yes, I know. I'm a heretic, but I think I'm redeemable. I'm still looking for the perfect outliner. It's out there, somewhere.

Of COURSE it is... ;-)

Amontillado wrote:

In the end, it's what you do with software, not what software does for
you.

Yes, I know. I'm a heretic, but I think I'm redeemable. I'm still
looking for the perfect outliner. It's out there, somewhere.

When I try the download link for Novellus on https://novellussoftware.com I get taken to the Japan MacApp Store where Novellus is nowhere to be seen. Is Novellus listed in the MacStore in other countries? I am trying to find a simpler, easy-to-use replacement for Scrivener and Novellus seems to fit the bill. I would like to try it out.

MadaboutDana wrote:

For those seeking a nice, cheap replacement for Ulysses (on macOS) that
does the same concatenation thing that Steve's just been trying to
describe, Novellus is a good option (and has very good grammar/style
checking features as well). It's nowhere near as sophisticated as
Ulysses, but is pleasant to work with. Unfortunately the developer has,
I fear, become rather discouraged, so it hasn't been updated for a few
months. But I use it fairly regularly to write stuff. There isn't an iOS
version, unfortunately.

The Ulysses concatenation is difficult to appreciate unless you've
actually worked with it. Ulysses allows you to view multiple sheets (=
notes, documents) together – but not just view them, actually edit
them, too, just as if they were a single sheet (note, document,
whatever). So it's not to be confused with a preview function (Ulysses
does that too, of course). It's probably the single most powerful
feature in Ulysses, because you can shift the documents (notes, sheets,
etc.) around however you like, and then view or edit them as a new
"group" (i.e. with surrounding documents) in their new context.

I was wondering if Inspire Writer did that – there's no mention of
it on their website, so I suspected (and Steve has just confirmed) that
it doesn't.

Scrivener is amazing, but the learning curve is steep and some of the
features are definitely somewhat confusing. Even Charles Stross (a
highly intelligent sci-fi author who features on the Literature & Latte
blog) admits that he doesn't use more than the basic features in
Scrivener (which rather amused me, I must admit).

Cheers!
Bill

Alas, Darren, you're not wrong. Up until recently, it was listed on the Mac App Store (UK), whence I happily downloaded it to install on my new MacBook (the previous one having blown up like a football with a battery-related issue!). But it appears to have been withdrawn.

That's a bit tragic. Hopefully the developers are going to upgrade/modernise it (it does look a bit old-fashioned).

Just as I feared. Thanks for checking this out for me, Bill. I have contacted the developers via the website's online inquiry form, but as yet have not heard anything back. Here is to hoping that it means better things are in store. :)

MadaboutDana wrote:

Alas, Darren, you're not wrong. Up until recently, it was listed on the
Mac App Store (UK), whence I happily downloaded it to install on my new
MacBook (the previous one having blown up like a football with a
battery-related issue!). But it appears to have been withdrawn.

That's a bit tragic. Hopefully the developers are going to
upgrade/modernise it (it does look a bit old-fashioned).

I am sure that those looking for a Scrivener replacement, much prefer an native app, and not a browser-based app. However, there are some really interesting browser-based writing apps. The two that I find most interesting are NovelPad and Speare. If you can stomach keeping your work online (and even I'm not too thrilled by that), they may be worth checking out:

https://www.speare.com/

https://novelpad.co/

I wish either of those would make a native Mac app.

Steve Z.

Thanks for the recommendations, Stephen. I had come across these apps before through this forum. Speare seems to be the most attractive to me except it has the input window for text is at the bottom of the screen. This is just too jarring for me to use Speare. This point was I believe also discussed in this forum. It would be good if the developers could let the user choose the positioning for inputting text. I have as yet heard nothing from the developers of Novellus, so my search for an alternative continues.

Stephen Zeoli wrote:

I am sure that those looking for a Scrivener replacement, much prefer an
native app, and not a browser-based app. However, there are some really
interesting browser-based writing apps. The two that I find most
interesting are NovelPad and Speare. If you can stomach keeping your
work online (and even I'm not too thrilled by that), they may be worth
checking out:

https://www.speare.com/

https://novelpad.co/

I wish either of those would make a native Mac app.

Steve Z.

I 100% agree with that, Darren. Seems an odd choice for an otherwise well-designed app.

Darren McDonald wrote:

Thanks for the recommendations, Stephen. I had come across these apps
before through this forum. Speare seems to be the most attractive to me
except it has the input window for text is at the bottom of the screen.
This is just too jarring for me to use Speare. This point was I believe
also discussed in this forum. It would be good if the developers could
let the user choose the positioning for inputting text. I have as yet
heard nothing from the developers of Novellus, so my search for an
alternative continues.

Stephen Zeoli wrote:
I am sure that those looking for a Scrivener replacement, much prefer an
>native app, and not a browser-based app. However, there are some really
>interesting browser-based writing apps. The two that I find most
>interesting are NovelPad and Speare. If you can stomach keeping your
>work online (and even I'm not too thrilled by that), they may be worth
>checking out:
>
>https://www.speare.com/
>
>https://novelpad.co/
>
>I wish either of those would make a native Mac app.
>
>Steve Z.

Meanwhile, it might be worth experimenting with iaWriter, which has got transclusion. It's a surprisingly powerful app.

Otherwise it would be worth taking a look at Lattics, which is fairly complex but seriously cool (https://lattics.zineapi.com

Cheers!
Bill

Darren McDonald wrote:

Just as I feared. Thanks for checking this out for me, Bill. I have
contacted the developers via the website's online inquiry form, but as
yet have not heard anything back. Here is to hoping that it means better
things are in store. :)

Thanks Bill. How do you find this stuff? I am amazed. :)

I already have iaWriter and will take a good look at it now by using it more than the few times I did in the past.

Lattics seems to be actually what I am after. I downloaded it from the macOS App Store but Lattics crashes immediately on launching it. I found an email for support on a webpage for a different application and got an almost instant reply. A very good sign of the support from the developers. I will post my initial thoughts on Lattics once I have it up and working.

Thanks again for your wonderful suggestions! :)

Cheers! :)

MadaboutDana wrote:

Meanwhile, it might be worth experimenting with iaWriter, which has got
transclusion. It's a surprisingly powerful app.

Otherwise it would be worth taking a look at Lattics, which is fairly
complex but seriously cool (https://lattics.zineapi.com

Cheers!
Bill

Darren McDonald wrote:
Just as I feared. Thanks for checking this out for me, Bill. I have
>contacted the developers via the website's online inquiry form, but as
>yet have not heard anything back. Here is to hoping that it means
better
>things are in store. :)

Heh, thanks, Darren – I'm just a sad, sad Ultra-CRIMPer, fascinated by the whole issue of efficient knowledge management.

Means my own knowledge/task management is a bit chaotic, unfortunately, as I struggle to find the "ideal" model (AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!)

Having said which, I've found one of the great journaling apps, which I now use to keep close track of how I'm spending my time during the day (rather than using one of the hundreds of "timer" apps). It allows me to create instant date/time-stamped notes with (if necessary) extensive comments as I work my way through the day. It's called Everlog, and is available for macOS and iOS (syncs via iCloud). It supports most markdown codes.

A much simpler/cheaper alternative that does much the same thing (with very basic but adequate support for markdown) is Timeline Journal (also on the Mac App Store); Everlog is rather more sophisticated, however (albeit subscription-based)

Darren, Lattics has just been updated in the Mac App Store with copious apologies for the crashing issue you described in your earlier post.

They come across as very responsive!

Cheers,
Bill

Just downloaded Lattics and noticed one bug immediately. I didn't like the font and small size of the text so when I went to Settings > Appearance to change the font, the app balked at showing me my complete list of fonts, stopping mid-S with SignPainter. Granted I have nearly 400 fonts installed, but I've never seen any app that *could* show fonts fail to show all of them.

When reading the included text I saw that each section/card has its own font/size formatting and there seems to be no way to implement global or document-wide changes.

Overall the app is attractive and pretty speedy, and less clunky in moving to different sections than Agenda, which I'd recently purchased and am playing with.

I'll probably delete it soon simply because I need my notes/PIM apps to be cross-platform with iOS, but it's arrived with a strong start for a Mac/Windows app.

@satis – I agree, for a relatively new app, it's extremely polished. And unlike certain apps (koff – Ulysses), its search function also searches through the cards. The lack of an iOS app is a shame, but I suspect there's probably one on the roadmap.

I particularly like the way the settings are laid out: all sections are on the same page, with headings – just in case you need them – in the left-hand margin (a bit like the app itself), so you can simply scroll down it rather than clicking on lots of different sections.

I hadn't noticed the font thing – amusing!

Cheers!
Bill

MadaboutDana wrote:

unlike certain apps (koff – Ulysses), its search
function also searches through the cards.

I think you should revisit Ulysses's search ability. In addition to Command-F 'find' there's also Shift-Command-F 'search in group' which offers the most granular search I've seen in any app.

http://i.imgur.com/nDf6ZmE.png

I can think of no other apps I own which let me search only in dashed lists for a specific word or phrase, for example.

The only thing that comes close to the search ability in this app is pure GREP expression-search in something like BBEdit.

Good grief! You're right, that's certainly evolved. Oh dear – no, no, I don't wanna look! No – more – subscriptions!

satis wrote:

MadaboutDana wrote:

> unlike certain apps (koff – Ulysses), its search
>function also searches through the cards.

I think you should revisit Ulysses's search ability. In addition to
Command-F 'find' there's also Shift-Command-F 'search in group' which
offers the most granular search I've seen in any app.

http://i.imgur.com/nDf6ZmE.png

I can think of no other apps I own which let me search only in dashed
lists for a specific word or phrase, for example.

The only thing that comes close to the search ability in this app is
pure GREP expression-search in something like BBEdit.

Aha! Novellus is back! And it's been updated for Apple Silicon – a good sign that it's not died off or been abandoned!

A nice, low-price Scrivener/Ulysses alternative is available in the Mac App Store again.

Cheers,
Bill

And the Novellus developer has taken the opportunity of tidying up/modernising the UI, too – it looks a good deal better than it did.

Great stuff!