This Hacker News discussion revolves around a new writing application called "Enso." The primary themes emerging from the conversation are the app's clarity and discoverability, its unique "no editing" philosophy, and discussions around platform availability and naming conventions.
Clarity and Discoverability of the Product
A significant portion of the discussion centers on the initial difficulty users experienced in understanding what Enso is. Many commenters felt the product's purpose was not immediately clear from the linked article or website.
- "Looks really neat. Took me a few minutes to figure out what it was. A description above the fold (or here!) would be great." - dgfitz
- "I dont know what Enso is. This page doesn't tell it in first few paragraphs. I wasn't to homepage of this website. That also mentions Enso but without a link. There is a link to roadmap but that doesn't answer this question either. Please describe what Enso is in few lines in a easily discoverable place." - smusamashah
- "Yeah the article is quite bad for the uninitiated but it seems that is how he talks to its own community. Looks like a text editor" - owebmaster
- "Same. I even came to comments to see if anyone has actually written what this is. And, unfortunately, still little. Most people just comment 'great stuff'. After a few minutes I'm still to learn what this thing is and why does anyone care that it's in beta public." - dr_kretyn
- "I didn't understand what this was from the link posted; why choose cute over clear?" - nilirl
- "I appreciate the artistic and programming skills of the developer but not the "cleverness" and "quirkiness" of their announcement post. It took me too long to figure out that this is some sort of distraction-less writing app only for iOS and so of no value to me. Less snappy memes, more empathy for me as a visitor, please." - urig
The author of the post, rpastuszak, acknowledged this feedback, explaining that the piece was initially intended as a "devlog entry for the people who already know my work/follow me on untested" and that they "forgot to leave my little bubble." They also mentioned plans to improve the product page's clarity.
- "Author here: https://enso.sonnet.io Thanks for the feedback, most of my usual readers know about Ensō and it seems I forgot to leave my little bubble when writing this post!" - rpastuszak
- "Yeah, to be frank, this was intended to be more of a devlog entry for the people who already know my work/follow me on untested and I didn't expect any responses on HN. Still, that's a big lesson for me, I shouldn't have made that assumption posting here. People have been really kind and responsive in my experience." - rpastuszak
- "I think this is also a problem of framing." - rpastuszak
The "No Editing" Philosophy and its Appeal
A core feature that sparked considerable interest and debate was Enso's approach to writing, which discourages or prevents editing. This concept resonated with some who found it a novel and potentially liberating way to capture thoughts, while others found it impractical.
- "You can’t select or edit text, but you can download and review it once you’re done. What? Damn." - johnisgood
- "I've always felt that the best part of writing on a computer is the ability to edit while you write, however, I also understand that doesn't work at all for a lot of people, so I think this app is neat even though I personally wouldn't use it." - _elf
- "Sometimes forcing yourself "not to edit" allows you to bring out things which are hard to catch and hide in the nooks and crannies of your mind. Brain dumping also works the same way. You write whatever you have in your mind, without even correcting spelling errors. It really brings out things you don't know they are there and bothering you or taking space. You should at least try once. Takes an hour or so." - bayindirh
- "imo it's more of a thinking constraint journaling tbh.. friction like edit lock, coffee noise, fullscreen etc just makes me stop editing while thinking lol not letting me kill the raw draft midway.. more tools shud do this subtractive ux" - b0a04gl
The author, rpastuszak, elaborated on this with the idea that "Untested is my playground/a place where I 'work with the garage door up', so generally I allow myself for more flexibility."
- "Untested is my playground/a place where I 'work with the garage door up', so generally I allow myself for more flexibility, especially since this post is more of a devlog entry than a one-glance product page (that would be https://enso.sonnet.io). That said, I had a break from writing, so ended up putting too much content in one place, which made it harder to edit." - rpastuszak
Platform Availability and Naming Collisions
Discussions also touched upon the platform compatibility and potential confusion arising from similar names. Initially, many assumed Enso was Mac-exclusive, but it was clarified that a Windows beta existed, though "ran out" of units. Additionally, users pointed out other entities with the name "Enso," leading to potential confusion.
- "Apparently only for mac. Not to be confused with Ensso, maker of fountain pens https://www.ensso.com/" - webstrand
- "Also not to be confused with Enso Analytics https://ensoanalytics.com/ which is also software for Mac (and Windows and Linux)" - brassattax
- "Not just for macintosh, there is a link [0] for windows, too. Ah, but it 'ran out' of units, so just a limited beta." - Nzen
- "Appears to be Apple only, for anybody spending time on the page trying to work out what it's about." - mellosouls
- "There is a PWA at https://write.sonnet.io/" - hmlwilliams
- "Got excited for a second, I thought this was about HENkaku Ensō [1] for the PS Vita." - _0xdd
- "Unfortunate naming collision with Enso Analytics (formerly Luna compiler)." - binary132
The author clarified the PWA's development status: "Thanks, just bear in mind that the PWA differs from the app and will not be actively developed. I'm planning to maintain it and keep it free." - rpastuszak
Other Points of Interest
Several users highlighted specific features they found appealing, such as the "coffee shop mode," and others offered praise for the website's design and the developer's overall approach.
- "Although, I don't think that Enso as a whole will work for me (I have a very different approach to writting); I love the idea of the coffee shop mode. Want to implement something like this for Obsidian now." - d-lowl
- "I like that idea, too. When I’m at home, I do most of my writing now with voice input. Would somebody please invent a sound cancellation device that will enable me to talk to my devices in coffee shops and on public transportation without being heard by others?" - tkgally
- "I made something similar inspired by this few times in the past. I think this is already quite perfect, ambient music I can provide myself. While I did thought of new features, they are really not needed. I especially like coffee shop mode. I often feel self conscious about things I am writing, so hiding text is fantastic." - desireco42
- "Just want to say beautiful website and product. Ensō looks well designed. And your "digital garden" is gorgeous as well." - jlarks32
- "Yes, to the OP: Great product, at least can you update the description text to guide newcomers with some user persona. We don't know what it is based on the description, so even the simplest "Try xyz" or even some goal would help us discover what it is." - sam1r
Finally, the playful mention of "Keanu" in relation to the app's development stage also elicited a positive reaction.
- "I laughed at the Keanu pun gonna try" - ricokatayama
- "It's neither a beta, nor an alpha, more Keanu than Hasselhoff. Hence, it's Ensō sigma!" - rpastuszak