Finally, after many bug fixes and tweaks I managed to get PenFroth™ to a “good enough” state to make it available for others to use.
PenFroth™ is not some new invention or anything, there are plenty of other writing tools out there that are somewhat similar, at least right now in PenFroth’s current development. Things will be different in the future though, can’t wait to show you what I have in store for this little app!
So, what is PenFroth?
It’s a writing tool made mainly for authors, but it can be used by anyone who wants a simple way of navigating multiple written texts quickly.
You basically have a scene tree on the left that works much like a folder where you create books, chapters and scenes. You can then easily shift between each one as you write, allowing you to write longer works without having to scroll up or down pages of wall of text just to get to a specific part in your story.
Watching this short video demonstration will show you the gist of it and the reason for why this is a much more effective way for writing novels than using traditional writing tools:
If the video wasn’t enough, then just know there is an in-app tutorial that plays the first time you launch PenFroth™, I highly recommend following its instructions.
I will also be creating tutorials and guidelines on my website tomorrow, about how to use PenFroth, to make it easier for people to get started!
How is PenFroth different from other similar writing tools?
Personally, all tools out there are great, some are even much better than PenFroth™, but better at what?
Some of them are packed with functionalities and the interface is cluttered with settings. I have tried them all and there’s always something that bothered me, that’s actually the main reason why I created PenFroth.
Also, finding a tool that isn’t locked in Light Mode seems impossible, and those who have a Dark Mode are web based. Some tools out there are perfect, but they are too advanced to be free, so you have to pay for them.
So, I decided to make my own tool that is useful to me and my workflow, and I hope others find PenFroth useful as well.
It is simple and lightweight, but it gets the job done… and it has Dark, Light, AND Papyrus Modes (with many more to come in the future).
Just an awesome free-to-use writing software, what more can I say, try it out and tell me what you think about it!
Current Status of PenFroth
Windows version
The Windows version has been tested and is fully working on windows 10.
Linux version
Linux version has NOT been tested, if you download PenFroth on Linux and it works, please write in the comments so I can update its status here.
MacOS version
MacOS version has NOT been tested, neither is it SIGNED or NOTARIZED, if you download PenFroth on Mac and it works, please write in the comments so I can update its status here.
Planned featured that were removed
There are some features missing that were originally planned for the alpha 0.4 release, such as additional metadata fields in the Overview tab for Genre, Themes, Style, etc.
Another planned feature that was removed was a duplicate button in the Writing tab, it was too complex to code its functionalities within the deadline for the alpha 0.4 release.
Adding these functionalities would be very time consuming and I was already past the planned deadline by 8 days! For those unfamiliar with programming, to add a functionality you have to design its logic, then code it, test it, and finally eliminate bugs and conflicts with other functionalities. And the duplicate functionality requires integration with MULTIPLE other functionalities, so it’s not something that can done in a day or two.
Even worse, these 8 extra days that I dedicated to PenFroth were supposed to be spent working on my main project, so with that said, I won’t be able to respond to your comments or questions for the next month or so.
No tech support until late October
If you run into issues while using PenFroth, then please post a comment about it, here on this post, or on the PenFroth main page, on reddit, Facebook, or Twitter. And I will get back to you in a month from now or whenever I manage to find pockets of free time. Thank you for your understanding!
Well, what are you waiting for? Get writing!
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