I want to take some time and explain why I built this project how I did, and make some announcements and commitments. There’s some stuff that is important to me that I would like to share.

Why Zerowriter & Why Open Source?

In this video, I tell a little story. I started building Zerowriter Ink so I could have an ultra-portable slate writerdeck to take on vacation. And it developed in to a whole lot more.

In the video, I briefly talk about a new feature I am working on: a pop-out notepad so you can jot down ideas while you are mid-sentence. (note that it is very experimental and a bit hacky right now) It’s a simple tool that I decided I needed while I was working on a longer story because I kept forgetting little tidbits of information: names, locations, etc.

And that’s one of the big reasons I am dedicated to open source. I am only one guy! By keeping the code open, countless others can make their ideas happen, customize their Zerowriters, and shake things up.

Zerowriter Is Private

Zerowriter Ink is private. Your device can not and will not /EVER/ do anything with your data. There is nothing feeding an external system. You are not the product. We should normalize tools being tools, not data farms.

Firms are reporting being approached by tech firms looking to feed user data in to creative AI generators. It is truly dystopian. And it doesn’t take much to piece together how threatening it could be.

Some other firms, like nanowrimo, have taken very concerning middle-of-the-road stances that could be read as endorsements. (Note that the web archive link is the only way to access their original stance.)

Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. As writers, you should be very cautious where your work is stored. Curated creative content is incredibly valuable. Do you trust third parties to reject cash offers from VC-backed AI firms?

Part of being an open source project is a commitment to transparency and privacy. That will never change.

Up Next

I’ll get a bit more technical with the next updates: news on enclosure designs, Inkplate’s development pass on the internals, and more. We’ll be gearing up for the last leg of the campaign, so I hope we keep the momentum up and knock it out of the park.

Community Shoutouts

My fellow hardware / writerdeck enthusiast has just released his latest Microjournal design. This is a Linux-based device, which makes it a flexible tool that might be suitable for more generalist use. Occasionally, I get people messaging me asking if they can get command line access, or more traditional computer functions. The Micro Journal is a great alternative that serves that kind of need. Check it out!