Tell HN: I'm a programmer who bought a typewriter

59 points by sasha_fishter 7 days ago | 57 comments

I have been programming for the last 7 years professionally. I like computers from my early age. My father bought me Sinclair ZX Spectrum+ when I was in the first grade. Since then, computers were part of my life, significantly. I stare at my screen almost whole day. One day there was some voice in me saying "Buy a typewriter". I listened to the voice and bought Smith Corona Silent from 1946. It was the most profound experience I ever had with some kind of machine. I was not so happy when I got my first cell phone, and later smartphone nor computer. This is something different, probably because the basics are the same, I'm still typing.

Suddenly I found myself writing a diary, and a novel. I never wrote anything other than blog posts (many of them since I had website similar to The Verge) - which I sold later.

I now have 3 typewriters, 2x Smith Corona Silent (1946 and 1956), and Olympia Monica (I think it's from '70).

What I found very interesting is that writing on a typewriter is perfectly synchronized with how fast my mind is working. Time slows down! I read that on the web somewhere, and it is slowing the time when you type on a typewriter! I can confess that!

My fingers are too fast on computer keyboard, and I even don't want to talk about distractions like auto correct and other stuff that always pops up. This is something what really makes me feel good. I can write a story, poem, diary, or a letter to a friend.

It's truly something we should have on our desk somewhere in the room, and just put our thoughts on a paper.

brudgers 6 days ago | next |

Thinking about efficiency is a reliable way to buzz-kill creative inspiration.

Editing is only more work with my typewriter (Olympia Traveler Deluxe with British layout) if I write something worth editing and am willing to do the work of editing it.

When it comes to self-expression (a somewhat better term than creativity) the writing is important. Not having the mental burden of possible OS updates, battery, cable and file management, etc. makes a typewriter workflow efficient for some of my work.

Sure, I wouldn't use a typewriter for ordinary business transactions or surfing the web or commenting on HN. Instead I use it when I don't want to deal with those habits.

For clarity, I only have one typewriter, not a collection. It is the fourth in the last five years bought at a thrift shop. The first was a 6 CPI SCM 12. [1] It was replace by a Spanish Keyboard Hermes Baby I bought on eBay. Then an Olympia Deluxe with Script font given to my beloved.

If you are looking for a typewriter:

+ maybe think about the case. Does it stack well? Can you stack stuff on top of it? Because at some point you will probably want to free up the space where your typewriter sits or transport it or store it.

+ check the typeface. The Olympia with script typeface was a bargain, but it is script. The 6CPI SCM was a surprise. Can you live with the typeface?

+ are you handy? Typewriter service is basic millwrighting. You will want decent flathead screwdrivers and some time on Youtube.

[1] If I come across another SCM with 6CPI for the right price I will have two typewriters. 6CPI changes the way I write and matches well with images...I got the Hermes Baby because I wanted a small font. It was too small and the way the text looked on the page turned me off. The Olympia is good enough, which is good enough.

bluGill 4 days ago | root | parent | next |

For those who don't know: a flathead screwdriver should be flat. Almost all taper to the point and that makes for a bad screwdriver that will cam out and ruin the screws.

fsckboy 3 days ago | root | parent | prev |

>Thinking about efficiency is a reliable way to buzz-kill creative inspiration.

on the autism spectrum are systems thinkers, many liking to think precisely about efficiency, we are very creative about it and it makes us happy (read Simon Baron-Cohen's The Pattern Seekers: How Autism Drives Human Invention)

you're a buzzkill

BitterCritter 3 days ago | root | parent | next |

No, as an autist, this guy is right. I’ve “systematically”thought about it a lot and creativity is something that must be done the long and hard way. You can be creative about efficiency but not efficient about creativity.

brudgers 3 days ago | root | parent | prev |

Among the systems I system-think about are systems that produce self-expression and systems that produce creative work.

Lots of people like to think about efficiency because thinking about efficiency is easier than doing work...and avoiding work is one of the definitions of efficiency.

Or to put it another way (and in the context of writing), thinking about efficiency doesn't put words on the page and what's in our heads is not the result of our creative acts.

Efficiency arises from the work, not vice versa. Self-expressive work arises from inspiration. The friction of inefficiency is often a symptom of important self-expression.

taylodl 7 days ago | prev | next |

Having grown up at a time where I was forced to use typewriters and listen to vinyl LP records, I don't wax so nostalgic over those old technologies. As soon as I got my Commodore 64 and my Star Gemini 10x dot matrix printer, I never used a typewriter again!

Vinyl took a little longer to get off of as I had (and still have) a fairly significant vinyl collection.

freedomben 3 days ago | root | parent | next |

I'm with you on the vinyl, and I was with you on the typewriter until a few years ago when I was looking through a museum and they had a typewriter that could be used by the guests. It was a little older than the typewriter I had to use as a kid before getting a computer, but not radically different.

Typing on it was at first nostalgic, but I quickly realized I was typing way more steadily and efficiently (far fewer mistakes) than I do on a modern keyboard. After continuing to use it I realized there really is something important in the physicality there. There's also a lot of value I think in the "distraction free" nature of the typewriter. It's not going to deluge me with notifications about email and slack messages I'm constantly receiving.

That said, I do think I'd get very frustrated if I had to type on it when tired or rushed as mistakes are far more costly on a typewriter than a modern computer. It's certainly not the panacea that nostalgia makes many of us think it will be, but I do think there's real benefit in it.

mberlove 3 days ago | root | parent | prev |

Can I ask, do you find that the benefits that other respondents are claiming (maybe younger respondents) are artifacts of a wishful thinking? Is it possible that the benefits are somewhat real, but come with downsides? I'm not leading in any one direction, but I am curious if the experience is more objective or subjective.

taylodl 3 days ago | root | parent | next |

Could be a couple things:

1. ASMR. Typewriters make a nice sound as you type. A lot of people like it. With regards to vinyl LPs, while growing up a friend of mine always remarked how much the static reminded him of a crackling fire. He felt like you were listening to music beside a fire.

2. I grew up in a time when these were simply the tools we had. I'd already learned how to be mindful about doing work - the tools forced us! I learned how to write and compose without the benefit of a computer. I learned photography at a time when I processed my own film and made my own prints in a darkroom. I know that experience has greatly affected how I approach digital photography. Younger people might simply be getting a thrill learning what I learned decades ago. Maybe they appreciate a completely different approach to achieving the same thing? With an entirely different workflow? That might give them new insights.

There are still aspects of the old that I like and prefer. For example, I still prefer books over screens. I still write notes on pen and paper and later transcribe them to my computer because I've learned I'll retain the information better if I actually physically write it down. When recording music, I prefer to use Audacity because it's like using the computer as a giant R2R and I get a more natural sound. I still shoot digital cameras in manual mode (or semi-automatic depending on the situation) because I like to control the different technical aspects of the shot. Stuff like that.

brudgers 3 days ago | root | parent | prev |

I'm not younger and listened to records and used a typewriter. I have a typewriter because it creates an environment that is not a computer. Unlike a phonograph, a typewriter is an entire ecosystem less commodity supplies (a phonograph is useless without the activity selecting and acquiring and storing records).

I don't recommend getting a typewriter. If someone wants to try one, they will do it. And if someone doesn't they won't. They are not for everyone and there is no moral distinction between those two groups.

nottorp 4 days ago | prev | next |

Hmm YMMV. I like it even slower for writing fiction, as in handwriting.

But the most important part is probably not the slowness but the distraction-free environment. Get a DOS machine with WordPerfect and it will work as well. But don't run DOS in an emulator that you can alt+tab away from and doomscroll...

theogravity 3 days ago | prev | next |

For those who want a hardware+digital writing-focused experience, I'd recommend the Kingjim Pomera series.

https://artvsentropy.wordpress.com/2023/08/12/retro-writing-...

We bought a Pomera DM250 a few months ago while in Japan. It's really sleek and feature-rich compared to western-built writing-only devices which are limited, more expensive, and bulky. It opens up directly to a word processor; runs Linux under the hood.

You can buy them via ebay as well if you're not in Japan.

mkovach 4 days ago | prev | next |

While I love typing on typewriters, it doesn't compare to writing with a good fountain pen loaded with excellent ink. But more and more, for writing that I intend to end up is some where in the digital void, I have found myself writing writing using WordStar, running DR DOS 7.0 on a ThinkPad T23, using a clone of an IBM M13 keyboard.

So, for my major writing projects it is: * Outline, snippets, and drafts with a fountain pen. * Writing, re-writing, etc. on WordStar. * Typeset (i.e.: prepare digitally) on my regular systems. This is the only place I get distracted.

darkwater 3 days ago | root | parent |

I always hated the feeling of the fountain pen scratching the paper while writing, but I only used it for school when I was very very young, and probably it was a crappy fountain pen.

derekp7 3 days ago | root | parent |

Some of the nicer fountain pens just glide over the paper -- you can look for reviews on several fountain pen forums, and on the fountain pen subreddit. I personally like several of the ones from Pilot. Also, Sailor pens will give you feedback that feels more like a good graphite pencil (so not scratchy, but not glass smooth either). Another good option is the Pilot Varsity ones, those are disposable (and priced as such), but for something built to be cheap price they sure do write good.

ivvve 4 days ago | prev | next |

For me, a fountain pen has fulfilled this function, but in my teens I had a typewriter collection. I still wonder where they all went...

veddox 4 days ago | root | parent |

Ditto for the fountain pen. For the past few months I've been trying to switch off the computer as much as possible and do as much writing as I can by hand. I can concentrate a lot better and I enjoy the physicality of handling a good pen and actual paper.

agentultra 4 days ago | root | parent | next |

If you want to try something wild: take a side project and do your programming on paper.

Type the code in and run it if you must. But go back and write in pen and ink.

It sounds weird. Programming languages have a lot of funky syntax. You’ll find the impulse to either find short-hand or else you will start structuring the program such that you can keep (parts of) it in your head.

seabass-labrax a day ago | root | parent | next |

Lisp dialects are usually nice enough to write on paper. Because whitespace between list elements is never important in classic Lisp, you can break lines wherever it makes most sense visually to do so. Plus, the referential transparency means that you can write on loose sheets without any specific order (although many Lisp compilers do read top-to-bottom in practice).

agentultra a day ago | root | parent |

ML and Haskell-like languages are also good, although you can usually forget writing the terms and just construct everything in types.

0x38B 3 days ago | root | parent | prev |

When I was learning Python on Udacity’s Python course, I worked out solutions to the problem sets on paper. That’s when I do my best, 100% focused thinking: with a good pen and a nice notebook.

It’s still the most enjoyable programming experience I’ve had.

xanderlewis 4 days ago | root | parent | prev |

I've loved fountain pens and ink for years. Used an iPad with an Apple Pencil (which are great) for a couple of years, and then recently came back to fountain pens and pencils. I missed them so much!

What pens have you/others been using? I like the TWSBI 580.

0x38B 3 days ago | root | parent | next |

I use a Lamy 2000 and find the shape, balance, and weight to be perfect.

Different inks can transform the writing experience; Aurora’s Black ink is very wet, and in my Lamy, writing with it is effortless.

I also enjoy writing with dip pens. The Sailor Hocoro (1) works with fountain- and dip-pen inks and has a smooth-writing steel nib. I use it when I want to write out some passage or quote in another color. India ink is the blackest black and I love it for that, while walnut ink is a pleasingly light sepia.

1: https://www.gouletpens.com/products/sailor-hocoro-dip-pen-se...

veddox 3 days ago | root | parent | prev |

All through university and for several years afterwards I had an Online Vision Classic, which served me very well. Unfortunately I lost the first one at some point, and its replacement had various issues. So a couple of months ago I decided to go for a really good pen, and got an Otto Huth design 04. It looks great, lies comfortably in the hand and has an excellent nib.

Devasta 7 days ago | prev | next |

I know what you mean, its the same reason I do not have a kindle or buy e-books in general: With a physical book I take the time to sit down and read what is written, but on a screen I find myself skimming through to get the key points.

Sometimes, efficiency is the least important thing.

skydhash 6 days ago | root | parent |

I love my kobo for the fact that I can carry it with me everywhere, but navigation is so slow that I'm not tempted to switch books or even quick scan them. I only have to charge it every 3-4 days (heavy readings sessions). I only use it for fiction and text heavy books.

It has my whole library on it and I open it everytime I'm waiting for something.

HellDunkel 2 days ago | prev | next |

Owning a record player and a vinyl collection helps me reconnect with music and keep the inspiration up. I went digital for quite- years actually- but after the initial joys of discovering and collecting digital i found that my interest in music started to wane. It only came back after investing some time in my vinyl collection again though buying&selling.

I think it is healthy to keep a good part of ones life analog, detached from a computer screen or mobile device.

rishikeshs 2 days ago | prev | next |

A bit out of context, but GPT can now run on typewriters: https://arvindsanjeev.com/ghostwriter.html

sasha_fishter 2 days ago | root | parent |

You know what the thing is? I'm working with AI, I have developed some features with AI, I love it in some areas. But I think that human creativity will still be the main driving force and more and more people will appreciate when someone use their creativity, that means they think. THINK. We are slowly forgetting to think every now and then, and the reason is that phones, tv and internet are controlling what we should think, and I think that it should be the other way around. For me, good practice is to use AI as a brainstorm machine, when you get stuck, you can write some prompt and maybe out of it get some ideas. Or you can talk to other people, but everyone today is too busy. "Too busy". So you are left with yourself, which means you have to think this way or another.

rishikeshs 2 days ago | root | parent |

I totally agree with you Sasha!

I posted it as a joke/sarcasm to show that even people have tried running AI on a typewriter!

freedomben 3 days ago | prev | next |

I have been wanting to buy a typewriter, but quickly found myself lost in what to buy. Ideally I'd like something for which acquiring ink/toner/tape/etc is not overly difficult or expensive, as I intend to actually use the thing. Does anybody have recomendations?

ThePhysicist 4 days ago | prev | next |

I have a Monica and while I like typing on it I couldn't imagine writing anything substantial with it, the physical effort required to hammer down the keys hard enough is already quite fatiguing, even for someone enjoying mechanical keyboards. There are a few more modern electrical typewriters that I would consider for serious writing duty.

sasha_fishter 2 days ago | root | parent | next |

You need some time to switch from computer keyboard mindset. Even though it's the same thing, typing on a typewriter is completely different experience and the way you type is different. You have to place your hands differently, and get some muscles in the fingers since you have to hammer that key. Especially for ring finger and small one - they are the weakest. But as you type more you become better at it, works for basically everything else in life.

piltdownman 4 days ago | root | parent | prev |

This is somewhat compounded by the fact the QWERTY layout itself is an inefficient legacy remnant of typewriters, whereby the most utilised keys would have a tendency to stick together if placed side by side, so QWERTY was envisaged as a way of spacing out these keys across the keyboard. Not for ergonomics or efficiency, but as an engineering workaround.

m463 7 days ago | prev | next |

reminds me of when I used a film camera. Looking back a the shots I took... I would just take ONE photo. Group photo with 30 people? One picture.

Nowadays I take a ton and pick the best, because they are "free", but suspect I might think less about composing.

I think there is something to be said for the need to get it right. Maybe it makes you more mindful.

racktash 7 days ago | root | parent | next |

In June I "accidentally" (I certainly never saw it coming...) got back into film photography. I bought a Lomography Konstruktor for fun and ended up having way more fun taking photos with it than I thought I would.

It's going to be a personal, subjective thing, but not having the option to take unlimited photos, as I tend to do with my phone when on holiday, say, but having to try to at least give each exposure a chance of being worth the expensive cost of film, made me rediscover the fun of photography.

randerson 4 days ago | root | parent | prev |

I recently bought a cheap used Canon 35mm film camera which fits the same EF lenses I already had for my digital SLR. It has proved to be the far more fun camera to take on a photo walk. Not just because I have to think about each shot, but for the delayed gratification of having to wait days/weeks before seeing that it came out as planned.

howard941 6 days ago | prev | next |

My handwriting sucks and nothing's better for filling out forms and such. It still has practical use cases.

zippyman55 7 days ago | prev | next |

Really nice post. In my final SW engineering job, I bought a ton of drafting supplies and artist paper and forced myself to architect my algorithms. It forced me to slow down and I fell much closer to my objective. I’m going to try your idea.

yatharthk 4 days ago | prev | next |

You should definitely check out https://getfreewrite.com/. You'd like that. It's like getting the best of both worlds.

sasha_fishter 2 days ago | root | parent | next |

I personally don't like small screens. I have s smartphone and it suits me well for other purposes, but for writing I want to feel that key hammering the paper, smell of the machine, and vibration they produce whey you type. You are definitely connected to the machine in some way. And while we don't have delete button, the way you think is pretty much different then when you have that delete button.

themadturk 3 days ago | root | parent | prev |

Ah, an expensive Alphasmart! Yes, it has a backlit screen and wifi (and maybe a nicer keyboard), but fewer lines on the screen and a shorter battery life than the Neo.

hartator 3 days ago | prev | next |

Why not just pen and paper?

ReMarkable is also a good option for epaper.

sasha_fishter 21 hours ago | root | parent |

I do it from time to time. Usually just some short notes, but it's not the same for me. I like to write on a machine, maybe because I'm typing on a computer keyboard for a long time. But I do enjoy writing with hand more nowadays. Few years ago I've noticed that I do not write with hand at all, everything was on a computer. So it feels good. Combination of handwriting and typewriter works fine for me. Sometimes, when I don't have note besides me, I write some thought on the phone, because I will forget it otherwise.