OverType - The Over-The-Top Typewriter Simulator is probably the only one of its kind that exists online, and let’s you experience first hand what’s it like using a typewriter. And, according to the simulator’s creator (Ben Wheeler): “it’s the first typewriter sim on the web that faithfully recreates the manual typewriter experience…”. It helps you become a typewriter typist, for free.
The over-the-top typewriter simulator web app is pretty cool. It behaves exactly like an old typewriter. You cannot go back on your characters, let alone words. Apart from making you experience what a real typewriter feels like, it also makes a man outta each one of us! (With the whole not going back on our words bit…fine, fine, I’ll let it go)
OverType - The Over-The-Top Typewriter Simulator.
Back to the typewriter simulator, as I mentioned above it is probably the only one of its kind existing online (or the first one I happen to discover for myself). Anyone with a modern browser, and an Internet connection can use it.
While using it, you can set about three things. You can choose the font you would like to use (I especially like the GNUTypewriter typeface; the other two being Courier, and Special Elite), you can set the amount of ink your cartridge holds (1 unit is roughly 1 characters; with the max characters that can be typed before the ink runs out being around 600), and you can set up the brokenness (unlike us having control over our brokennesses, we can actually control that on this).
The typewriter simulator is pretty straight forward to use, and figure out. There’s a white paper simulator too, built within the typewriter simulator to help you correct mistakes. That paragraph by paragraph. The white paper simulator was a little hard to figure out at first, but definitely works like it’s supposed to.
The over-the-top typewriter simulator is definitely a must try. You could even use it to demonstrate how a typewriter felt to your kids or in a class. Although, it could do with a facelift. Nonetheless, it’s a brilliant idea, and a very creative writing tool. This post was written with it. And, for the sake of brevity, it was then edited on another app.
Use OverType - The Over-The-Top Typewriter Simulator.
When it comes to writing apps, editors (not the people kind), inks, pens, charcoal, pencils, and of course typewriters, I do have a very biased obsession with them all. Maybe it’s the novelty factor or something else, I do not know. What I do know that it’s something good. It’s something that helps me write, and keep writing. Here’s to writing tools of all kinds!
