How to Turn Your Laptop Into a Typewriter - smallhealf1997

Authorship requires focus: You need to sit down with your thoughts and just plow through your bring off. Regrettably, a modern calculator isn't that great for focusing on something as mundane every bit text. A word processing system surrounds your text edition with so umteen flashy buttons and toolbars that you might sometimes feel as if the quarrel you're trying to write belong in the backseat. Then there's the matter to of chat bulge out-ups, email dings, Twitter chirps, and the smooth panoply of modern distractions that conspire to slip away your focus.

Although full-screen text editors so much As WriteMonkey and WriteRoom eliminate most interface distractions, you are still just a single Alt-Tab away from a humans of temptations and time-wasting activities (or "research"). Thusly when you very want to receive some writing done, sometimes a dedicated typewriter is what you need: You see no notifications, you can't shift to some other windows, and nothing comes between you and your text.

In this article, I will show you how to adopt an old laptop and convert it into a text-only typewriter with zero distractions, only with wireless connectivity to your home electronic network, and seamless Dropbox synchronization for your text edition. This setup allows you to write of your typewriter, and then blue-pencil your work in a full-fledged word processor on your main estimator (or on the same estimator, booted into Windows).

Download Ubuntu Server

Our typewriter will be based on Ubuntu Server. I know this sounds like overkill: Why take a server-form operating scheme that supports enterprise computer hardware, and use it as a typewriter? I chose Ubuntu Waiter for trine reasons: Prototypal, it's rigorously a console Osmium, so information technology has atomic number 102 X-Windows to handicap. Also, it has a polished and good-tested setup routine, too as robust ironware put up. With any luck, you won't have to tinker with drivers for Ubuntu Server to correctly identify and use all of your laptop's computer hardware, and most world-shaking, its Badger State-Fi interface.

Obviously, the opening move is to obtain your manpower on Ubuntu. Navigate to the Ubuntu Server download Page; Ubuntu recommends going with the 64-fleck build, but for our purposes, the 32-bit version whole kit and boodle better because it supports older hardware. Change the drop-down to say 32-bit, and click the big red Start out download button. Once you have the file, usance it to make a bootable phonograph record. To do and so, happening the same Sri Frederick Handley Page, go to step 2 and blue-ribbon the alternative to create a bootable CD operating theater USB stick (I chose the latter). Keep up the detailed instructions along the page, and you should end up with a CD or USB bond that you potty utilization to install Ubuntu Server on your laptop.

Install Ubuntu Host

Installing Ubuntu Server is pretty simple, but it isn't a reasonless process: Although the text-only installer is clear, you still let to read each screen and understand what you're doing. First, insert your media of choice; for the purposes of this point, put the Standard candle you've burned into the laptop, or connect the USB drive you prepared in the previous footprint. Future, configure your laptop to boot from either USB or CD (whichever is much apropos). How you carry out this step depends on the laptop you personal; on my Toshiba laptop, I had to campaign F2 As the computer was booting, get into the BIOS, and attend boot tab key. There, I changed the kick sequence so that 'USB Flash Disk' was first. Confabulate your laptop non-automatic or manufacturer's website for more data.

Time to start the installation process. Once the laptop boots from your CD or USB stick, you will take in a textbook menu with the Ubuntu logotype. Pick the second option: Set u Ubuntu on a Heavy Disk. Move forward through the setup summons by selecting your language, your body politic, and your keyboard layout.

Next, it's time to configure the Wi-Fi adapter. Ubuntu should almost always correctly identify your network adapters and allow you choose either the wired or radiocommunication one. The wireless one is usually called 'wlan0'. Choose it, and then manually typewrite the name of the mesh to which you regard to connect, as recovered as its access password. Both the name and the password are case-sensitive. You will also take to pick off a host name for your computer; I went with 'typewriter'.

You volition have to make room for Ubuntu, which probably entails resizing your laptop computer's hard-private road partitions. Choose the world-class option, Guided – resize. Corroborate writing changes to disk, choose a utmost size, and let Ubuntu resize the partition. This procedure will take a age (around 20 minutes, for me). Next, configure your user credentials by entering your full name, a username, and a password.

Important: Ubuntu will now offer to inscribe the home directory. Doctor of Osteopathy not use this selection (select No). The reason for this is that we wish the electronic computer to automatically log in formerly it boots, and it South Korean won't be fit to do that if you encrypt the home directory. This is sportsmanlike a typewriter, so we won't be accentuation security measures.

One time that's done, let Ubuntu proceed with updates. It leave download packages off the Net, and finally it will involve you about what software program you wish to install. Leave everything unchecked–you don't privation to set up anything differently the bare-bones apparatus. Earn sure to install the GRUB boot loader, as this will let you actually reboot into Ubuntu.

If everything completes successfully, congratulations! You're done installation Ubuntu. Pull out the USB describe, or eject the CD. Once you boot the computer, you leave pick up the Mooch selection screen. Choose the first option (Ubuntu); this excerption leave boot the machine into your new OS.

Set Up Dropbox

Now that you have Ubuntu ready, you'Re sledding to set up Dropbox integration. This step is the trickiest part of this how-to, and IT involves quite a bit of manual typing. The cognitive operation is based on the excellent teacher by Ubuntu Server GUI, with few minor changes.

1. Log in: Enter your new Ubuntu Server installation by exploitation the username and password you chose during setup. Your laptop should equal automatically connected to the Cyberspace (forward that you are on the same Wisconsin-Fi electronic network you configured during frame-up).

2. Download Dropbox: Eccentric the following billet.

wget -O dropbox.tar.gz "http://web.dropbox.com/download/?plat=lnx.x86"

Note that Dropbox offers 32-bit and 64-bit packages. You're installing the 32-bit one (because you installed the 32-bit Ubuntu Host edition).

3. Unzip Dropbox: Type the following line.

Jack-tar -xzvf dropbox.tar.gz

4. Start the Dropbox daemon: This is a tricky part of the process, requiring a bit computer and some accurate typewriting. Enter the succeeding stemma.

~/.dropbox-dist/dropboxd

Now comes the tricky part. The daemon will originate in running, but it will only tell you that it isn't coupled to an account yet. It will repeatedly output a message that looks same to the lines below:

This customer is non joined to whatsoever account... Please natter https://www.dropbox.com/cli_link?host_id=1c1497d78b543178b9349a7c1a8b087a&cl=en_US to link this machine.

Keep it running and outputting this message, and move to the next step.

5. Manually copy the URL: On a separate machine, one with a Entanglement browser, go to the Dropbox website and backlog in to your account. Next, you testament have to manually type the uncastrated URL you see happening your laptop into the web browser on this other machine. Yes–the unanimous thing, long argument and each. If you're having trouble copying information technology accurately, ask a protagonist to dictate it to you.

Presumptuous that you got it right, the Dropbox web site will request your password once again, and and so the message on your laptop bequeath change to say:

Client successfully linked, Wanted Erez!

(It would probably not call you Erez, naturally.) You may now press Ctrl-C to occlusive the daemon, and continue to the incoming step.

6. Get dropbox.py: To make working with Dropbox easier, download Dropbox's benefactor Python script into the .dropbox booklet, and make it executable by typing the following lines.

wget -O ~/.dropbox/dropbox.py "http://www.dropbox.com/download?dl=packages/dropbox.py" chmod 755 ~/.dropbox/dropbox.py

7. Start the daemon: Start the Dropbox fiend again, this time victimization the Python script.

~/.dropbox/dropbox.py showtime

8. Exclude all folders: Since we are using this laptop as a simple typewriter, let's exclude all Dropbox folders so that they don't sync to this laptop and clutter information technology up.

cd ~/Dropbox ~/.dropbox/dropbox.py exclude add *

You should now see an enlivened prompt that looks like […] while Dropbox kit and boodle to exclude the folders. This process will take a few moments, at the end of which it should say:

Excluded: documents pictures [all of your other folders]

9. Create a new leaflet: Create a 'typewriter' folder to save your files in.

mkdir ~/Dropbox/typewriter

You should see this folder pop out au fait your main computer instantly, showing that Dropbox sync is so working.

Configure the Boot Process

Ubuntu is installed, and Dropbox is configured–you're almost through. Now it is time to control what happens when you spell the computing machine on, so that you can merely start penning after turn the computer connected. Subsequently all, a typewriter never asks you for your password.

Original, you need to edit the .bashrc file to make Dropbox and a copy editor start on boot. The Dropbox.py playscript contains an autostart option, but this did not work on my Ubuntu Server installation; if you have the same trouble, try my workaround by redaction the .bashrc single file American Samoa follows.

nano ~/.bashrc

Within the .bashrc file, roll the whole way to the end, and type the chase lines.

Python ~/.dropbox/dropbox.py start cd ~/Dropbox/typewriter nano

The first subscriber line starts Dropbox, the second one switches to the 'typewriter' Dropbox folder, and the third starts a text editor. You can also use Vim if you'rhenium more comfortable with that, of course.

Straightaway let's test to make sure this setup industrial plant. Reboot your computing machine past typing the following line.

sudo reboot now

Enter your countersign if prompted, and your computer should reboot. Log in to Ubuntu again, and you should notic yourself in a text editor in chief, ripe to write. You john test whether Dropbox is working by saving a file and seeing it pop au courant your new computer momentarily. Now, let's configure automatic login. Conk Nano by pressure Ctrl-X, and type the following line.

sudo nano /etc/init/tty1.conf

Again, typecast your password if requested. You are now editing a configuration file, the last trace of which starts with an 'exec' command. Replace that line with:

White House /bin/login -f USERNAME < /dev/tty1 > /dev/tty1 2>&1

Where USERNAME is your ain username, of course. Glucinium sure to type this line accurately. So save the file (Ctrl-O) and exit (Ctrl-X).

Now, let's test again to make sure everything is workings correctly. Reboot the figurer to see if automatic login works:

sudo reboot now

Your computer should now restart, load Ubuntu, log you in, and discharge your text editor within the Dropbox leaflet. Once you are done working on your text and want to fold the computer, decease the text editor and type the pursuing into the prompt:

sudo closure now -h

That's it: You can now work on your text in a truly distraction-free environment, save it, and instantly think back it from another computer for further editing. Just don't forget to put off your smartphone while writing.