Text input system; does it exist?

July 8, 2004 11:03 AM

Here's what I want. A text input system that gives me the following options after I write: publish to my weblog, send it as an email, or save it as a document (three buttons at the bottom: publish, send, save). The input area above the text area could function as a place for a title, email address, or drive location. Does that make sense? Does it exist?
posted by jacknose to Computers & Internet (12 answers total)

Sounds like Slap on steroids.

Or vim with some scripts hanging off it.

Or the kind of thing emacs fanatics do.
posted by majick at 11:29 AM on July 8, 2004

Or UltraEdit with some customization.

Or an application for an OSX System Services extension, or maybe some fiddling with AppleScript Studio (or the equivalent XCode functionality) if you go that way.
posted by majick at 11:37 AM on July 8, 2004

Response by poster: It would need to do all three efficiently. Pmachine allows me to send an email using a similar interface for posting a weblog entry. If it would allow me to save my writing as a document on my hard drive or server, then I could use the interface for most of my writing (instead of moving back and forth between email, weblog, and word processing). Of course, there would be times when I would need a more sophisticated word processor (e.g., my dissertation), but for the most part, I could deal with a simple text processor. If it was an interface that I could access online, it would be even better. How many of us spend a good deal of the day writing emails, weblog entries, and documents (but move back and forth between systems)? Google has server space, an email system, and blogger to offer this one-stop text interface. If they could come up with a basic online text processor, then it could become the new Microsoft (for better or worse). Think Google as operating system (for basic writing tasks, which is the extent of most computer users).
posted by jacknose at 12:16 PM on July 8, 2004

Response by poster: Actually, with a little bit of work, Gmail could function as a basic text document. In fact, if I wanted to, I could start writing documents in Gmail and send them to myself to save/store them. The labels and search function would allow me to retrieve certain thoughts and ideas. If Gmail would allow me to publish to my weblog, then I would textually satisfied.
posted by jacknose at 12:25 PM on July 8, 2004

"If Gmail would allow me to publish to my weblog"

Hook up a mail-to-weblog gateway. Most major weblog content posting systems support it, but it's not that hard to roll your own.
posted by majick at 12:59 PM on July 8, 2004

Response by poster: Great. Textual satisfaction, indeed.
posted by jacknose at 1:24 PM on July 8, 2004

Response by poster: It seems that Google as operating system has already been discussed (with far greater insight than my own ramblings).
posted by jacknose at 3:47 PM on July 8, 2004

1. write in google email
2. mail to your blogger gateway (free with every blog)
3. cc: your preferred email address, or have blogger mail the post to an email list of friends, victims, etc.

I think it's a great idea. You create your content once, then click of a series of boxes where you want it published: metafilter, googlegroup, email list, etc.
posted by mecran01 at 4:44 PM on July 8, 2004

Of course, by googlegroup I really meant "Usenet."
posted by mecran01 at 4:46 PM on July 8, 2004

I'm a linux guy, but it's not much of a stretch to say that Word basically already does this, sans the three buttons. But you could create them and attach macros to them. Whether it publishes to your blog or just creates a page of html is going to be up to a mechanism outside of the editor.
posted by bingo at 5:26 PM on July 8, 2004

"Whether it publishes to your blog or just creates a page of html is going to be up to a mechanism outside of the editor."

You've just described (as I've been alluding to) every text editor bigger than notepad.exe. Hell, use Notepad and write some Makefiles or batch files or something with big fat icons on the desktop. Word (or OO.org or WordPerfect or Abi or KWrite or whatever) would be like dropping an asteroid on the Earth in order to drive a nail.
posted by majick at 7:09 PM on July 8, 2004

Except not every text editor bigger than notepad.exe already drop-down menu options to either save the page as HTML or send it in an email.
posted by bingo at 8:03 PM on July 9, 2004