I am the kind of person who truly enjoys simple things. I hate complicated, and I feel a calling (almost) to simplify things in my life and maybe help someone else along the way. This extends to apps and even processes in my own life. Sure, sometimes it takes time setting those processes up in advance, and that in itself might be on the complicated side. But when it works out and that process is now seamless and incredibly straightforward, I get excited. This extends to apps and technology as well. I don’t necessarily want to spend hours upon hours trying to figure out how to use something because that defeats the purpose. Which is why I’m a bit stunned after having used Typora a few times.
When I say that I like things to be simplified, I didn’t realize how simple something could be until I downloaded Typora. The interface is less complicated than the Notes app in iOS or macOS. There’s no chunky ribbon like you’ll see in Microsoft products, and there aren’t any bells and whistles to contend with. So when I was presented with this interface, I questioned if its possible for something to be “too simple”. Why is Typora this simplified? Well, it’s a markdown editor. Meaning, it’s a lightweight plain text editor that makes it extremely easy to convert your information into HTML or a ton of other file types. Making this a great way to write, distraction-free.
If you’ve ever used Slack, for example, then you already know the mechanics of markdown. For example, if you want to make a word bold, you put two asterisks beside it. (bold) Or if you want to italicize a word, you simply put one asterisk on either side of it. (italics). But, if you’re not interested in constantly marking down your work in that way, Typora also has other functionality to achieve this. For example, it also comes equipped with word-processing tools. You can insert headings, generate tables, put in hyperlinks and even add images. This last function is incredibly easy as you have the option to select an image from a local file or simply paste in the URL.
If you’re not happy with the default theme, you can change to another – like Gothic, Newsprint, Night, Pixyll and Whitey. While I’m a huge fan of Pixyll, which gives it a classy, New York Times feel, you might want to try Night. Night is your best option if you find yourself squinting at the screen late at night or really early in the morning. Night gives the window a grey background and makes the text white, which reduces eye strain.
I really like Typora because it’s not trying to be a complicated word processor. If you just want to get work done, then this is the app for you. The only potential issue is the price. Right now you can download the app for free in beta, but you might need to pay for this down the line. Get it in beta while you can and play around with it yourself. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Pros: Incredibly simple.
Cons: Currently free, but might require payment after beta version.
Cost: Free (for now).
Aye/Nay: Aye. It’s super simple and definitely makes word processing so much easier.
Link: Typora