Lettera looks like a nice alternative to something like Ulysses/IA Writer that are more lightweight versions of something like Scrivener. Will Lettera receive typewriter mode. I understand not adding it to Bear as it is a notes app first but If Lettera is to be used for writing anything from a blog post to a book then typewriter mode would be a must for many.
And will Lettera receive any Bear themes? It would really make the app POP.
7 Likes
+1 for typewriter mode / typewriter scrolling. Essential.
3 Likes
I love Bear’s themes. But in case of Lettera I would rather prefer something like ulysses editor themes. Especially because they’re so easy to modify or make.
2 Likes
A little spoiler: typewriter mode is almost here. It’s basically built; we just need to put it through proper testing before it ships.
Themes are a trickier topic. We’re deliberately designing Lettera to feel like a stock macOS app, so extensive theming doesn’t sit as naturally with that direction, no promises there for now.
8 Likes
I appreciate the inability to customize themes. I want Lettera to be more opinionated than Bear in that sense. I’m looking for it to be a no-frills productive tool with minimal options in preferences, similar to something like Things 3.
Then what separates it? So many notes apps out there but Bear always finds itself to the top of lists. Why? It is not as customizable as Obsidian that is half database and half notes app. It is not secure like Standard Notes and Notesnook. It is not as complicated as Notion. Why choose it? Why is it always at the top of all suggestions? In my opinion it follows the apple style.
It works. And it looks good. Give me a few themes like Academia and give me typewriter mode and this becomes my main driver. It is like a toned down but much much prettier Scrivener.
That is what can separate Lettera from Ulysses that is downright ugly nowadays and IA Writer that is closer to Lettera in style as it functions now. I agree that i don’t want it to become a Scrivener clone with lists and lists of settings. Keep it as light as bear on the settings.
Also on the name front i am curious why Lettera and not Polar Editor/Writer or Panda Editor/Writer or Grizzly Editor/Writer
1 Like
I also have similar feelings about themes; I really appreciate how well it ties in to MacOS and feels like a stock app and that themes would be detract from that.
Let me repeat in other words what I wrote here. When we talk about themes, we should clarify exactly what we mean by that. Basically I share the opinion of most people here that Lettera should look like a normal native Mac app. In other words: it should work without themes like the ones in Bear.
Themes for the editor however are something entirely different. They determine for example what color bold or italic text should be, or what the background color of the editor is. The Typora app does exactly the same thing.
If, like in the Ulysses app, you give users the ability to modify existing themes or create new ones, and to share existing themes with others, then you shouldn’t underestimate how much this fosters a sense of identity that keeps users loyal to the program.
I personally care less about stock macOS and more for an app to visually fit its environment, which for me is always some variant of the Solarized Light and Tokyo Night themes, both of which I sampled from Bear and ported to every other app I use and could customize (thanks Bear!).
1 Like
Grizzly is probably too closely associated with murder 
1 Like
At least give us the ability to change between light mode and dark mode. It reverts to dark mode in the early evenings, and I’m one of those people who gets headaches from writing on dark backgrounds with white text for longer than 5 minutes.
@matteo I’ve used Bear for years, but I actually disagree with this part about keeping Lettera strictly “stock macOS” and avoiding themes…a big reason many people go for indie apps in the first place is exactly how they look and feel. If “stock Apple” was the goal, most of us would just stay with Notes or Reminders, which honestly feel quite limited and uninspiring.
Bear is a good example here too. It stayed minimal, but the themes are a big part of why it feels so good to use. So I’m not really convinced that themes would go against Lettera’s direction. If anything, a thoughtful theming system could make it feel more alive without breaking the macOS-native feel.
4 Likes
Not adding plugins make sense since they can get heavy over time, but themes feel like a different thing. Why not go with something like Bear does… simple, nice looking, and it just makes writing more enjoyable without getting in the way.
3 Likes
I agree. I like that in IA Writer for example, I can create a few templates with different markdown formatting of colours and sizing for things like H1. I have a template that replicates DayOne’s markdown formatting for example.
To add to the theme discussion: given our wide range of preferences, from “keep it simple” to “give me full control,” there may be a middle ground worth exploring.
Since this is a markdown app, it naturally appeals to users with a programmer or technical mindset, rather than those who might prefer Word or Pages.
One option for themes would be to follow Typora’s approach and allow users to edit a .css file directly if they want to get under the hood, adjusting the sidebar color, background color, fonts, and so on.
Users who prefer simplicity can stick with one of the predefined themes (never even having to know about customization), while those who want more control can customize the CSS.
This would be my vote. I wish Bear would allow me to do this. 
You think? I’m a journalist, and I write in markdown, as do many journalists I know. To me, it never looked like this would be a full developer text editor, such as BBEdit. There are a plethora of markdown text editors available, you can find lots on the Mac App Store. Some look like they’re designed for developers, but certainly not the majority.
Oh, I’m with you. And totally agree this shouldn’t be BBEdit or Visual Studio Code.
I guess the # for H1 and wrapping words in symbols for bold and italics seem very html-ish to me… especially when I first started using markdown.
I love the ability to tinker and, I think you said it in a different post, wanting a grey background… that’s the kind of thing I want to do. I prefer a light tan background. But all of the themes with a tan background have a color scheme I dislike.
the more i look at this the more i like it. Like i love the Academia theme on bear but would love it if it was a bit darker and this could allow customization. Although i doubt the team would do that or if they do it would be something like Polar Writer 2.0 and instead we get the classic bear themes to match with Bear and add the customization later. Because the moment this goes live the Bear only users would want it. Also i hope it allows binder color customization like Scrivener and not have it like Ulysses where it is only the editor and the binder is ugly AF. Like thanks for letting me make my editor a cool color and my binder and my library are either blinding white or generic dark grey.
Typewriter mode is out! Lettera Beta Update: Typography settings, Mermaid support, and Typewriter mode