JDarkRoom is a simple free text editor designed to eliminate distractions while you write. It works in full screen and shows you only your text, the caret and a plain background; no menus or task bars visible. Its beauty lies in its simplicity.

It's programmed in Java, and it works on Windows, Linux and Mac OS. I've tested it on Windows and Ubuntu Dapper and it works perfectly on both operating systems. On Windows I downloaded the .jar version and it worked just clicking on it, really easy (today the author has released a .exe installer which I guess will make it even more transparent to install/use). On Ubuntu, with the same .jar, I had first to update my Java jre to the required 1.6 version (available in the multiverse repositories) and with a simple command ("java -jar JDarkRoom.jar") I started it; there was one last thing to do in Ubuntu: in the jdarkroom.properties file in the conf folder, created after the first execution, I changed the line suppress.native.look.and.feel from false to true.

The idea of a full screen text editor with nothing to distract you is great. I find it easier to concentrate on what I'm writing using this program, seeing only the text and nothing more. The only thing I miss is a spell checker, but I can survive without it.

Simple and useful. Great tool.

my rating: