A Word Processor Odyssey: Ulysses
Update:
Ulysses is now available as a subscription model. Read its lead developer — Max Seelemann — speak on the subject of the change from a paid-once model. Also, Ulysses’ website includes an announcement post on the subject with pricing details.
The Market Landscape
One of the most important things in the arsenal of a law student, blogger, lawyer, and any other professional is a word processor. Ulysses is a refreshing take on the outmoded experience familiar to anyone who uses Microsoft’s Word, Google’s Docs, or Apple’s Pages. I found myself searching for something I never thought I would type into Google in a million years: Global word processing market share. Most of the data is hidden behind a paywall, access to which I refuse to pay. Suffice it to say, Microsoft reigns supreme, but its share is not what it once was, due in part to competition from Google and Apple.
My Ulysses Odyssey
I can’t help myself with this pun, because I am a huge fan of Odysseus (Ulysses in Latin).
I was first introduced to Ulysses by a professor at Indiana University Maurer School of Law during the 2016 summer session. Still getting my bearings, I asked him what tools and technology he would suggest for a fledgling law student. He suggested Ulysses, a program I knew little about. I was initially put off by the price tag — $44.99 for the desktop client and $24.99 for the iOS companion application. However, knowing that there must be something to it, I investigated. What appeared to me was an extremely interesting offering, but one for which I was not prepared to financially pony up.
More recently, I have started working on some skills external to traditional law school expectations. I have taken up the task of reacquainting myself with Microsoft Excel after years of rust and mental erosion took a toll on my skills. And a professor suggested I learn database languages and programming. I am starting with R, Python, and SQL.
For anyone interested — coding proficiency does not easily come to me, and a lot of repetition is necessary for me to fully understand the concepts, so I recommend this book and DataCamp, both of which are resources that I have found helpful.
That digression into coding aside, I recently remembered one of the main draws of Ulysses — its clean interface and use of Markup language rather than traditional toolbars to format text. For instance, this is what my screen appears like when I use header hierarchies and insert various links in Ulysses:
The fact that I can train my fingers to use regex symbols like brackets, underscores, asterisks, etc. drew me to Ulysses — I know it’s a weird reason, but I’m a weird person. Keeping those utilities in mind for Ulysses helps me remember the purposes they serve in Excel functions, R, Python, and SQL. I can even use the Markup to insert bits of code that I write and have them properly formatted, so there may be some programming-related posts in my future.
Final Verdict
First of all, I acknowledge that very few people are going to want to spend $25 to $70 on a replacement for a program/package they likely get for free when they purchase a computer — Word or Pages — or can easily get free online — Docs. But for anyone who has a burning desire to spend money on a word processor with an incredibly clean interface; Markup integration; Medium and WordPress publishing support; and the ability to export in docx, ePub, PDF, etc. this may be your answer.
I am still diving into the various reasons to keep using Ulysses, but so far its minimalism has me hooked.
I wanted to share this for a number of reasons. One: I’m falling in love with Ulysses pretty quick. Two: I’m awake at 5am because I accidentally fell asleep too early and can’t get back to sleep. Three: I want to keep exploring more and more new tools and technology. It doesn’t matter to me, particularly, if they are intimately associated with the practice of law because tools like Ulysses and IFTTT can help anyone find some zen while being productive or optimize their workflow.