Scrivener (software)
Scrivener (/ˈskrɪvənər/) is a word-processing program and outliner designed for authors.[6] Scrivener provides a management system for documents, notes and metadata. This allows the user to organize notes, concepts, research, and whole documents for easy access and reference (documents including rich text, images, PDF, audio, video, web pages, etc.). Scrivener offers templates for screenplays, fiction, and non-fiction manuscripts. After writing a text, the user may export it for final formatting to a standard word processor, screenwriting software, desktop publishing software, or TeX.
Original author(s) | Keith Blount |
---|---|
Developer(s) | Literature & Latte |
Initial release | 20 January 2007 |
Stable release | |
Preview release | |
Operating system | |
Type | |
License | Proprietary (shareware) |
Website | literatureandlatte |
Features
Features include a corkboard, the ability to rearrange files by dragging-and-dropping virtual index cards on the corkboard, an outliner, a split screen mode that enables users to edit several documents at once, a full-screen mode, the ability to export text into multiple document formats (including popular e-book formats like EPUB and Mobipocket for Kindle, and markup languages such as Fountain, HTML, and MultiMarkdown), the ability to assign multiple keywords (and other metadata) to parts of a text and to sort the parts by keyword (such as characters, locations, themes, narrative lines, etc.), hyperlinks between parts of a text, and "snapshots" (the ability to save a copy of a particular document prior to any drastic changes).
Scrivener allows photos, URLs, and multiple other file formats, to be dragged into its interface as well. Because of its breadth of interfaces and features, it has positioned itself not only as a word processor, but as a project management tool for writers, and includes many user-interface features that resemble Xcode, Apple's integrated development environment (IDE). One computer programmer has called Scrivener "an IDE for writing".[7]
Platforms
Keith Blount created, and continues to maintain, the program as a tool to help him write the "big novel", allowing him to keep track of ideas and research.[8][9] It is built mostly on libraries and features of Mac OS X from version 10.4 onward. In 2011, a Windows version of the software was released, written and maintained by Lee Powell.[10]
Linux
There is no official release for Linux, but there is a public beta version[5] which has been abandoned[12] but still is available to use.[13]
Macintosh
The latest version of Scrivener for Mac is version 3.0, and requires macOS Sierra or newer.[1] Scrivener can be obtained from the Mac App Store, but since the Mac App Store application is only usable on OS X 10.6.6 and later, users of earlier versions of OS X must buy it directly from the developer's website instead of the Mac App Store.[14]
The company also makes Scrivener 2.5 available for earlier version of Mac OS X, but claims it is the final version of the software that was built to run on both PowerPC and Intel systems running Mac OS X 10.4 through 10.8. This version is available on the direct sale page in the sidebar titled "Mac OS X 10.4–8 and PowerPC".[14]
In addition to the Scrivener version 2 releases, the direct download page provides access to the obsolete version 1.54, but licenses are no longer available for purchase. The 1.54 release is compatible with Mac OS X versions 10.4 through 10.6.[14]
Windows
The latest stable version of Scrivener for Windows is 1.9.16.0, released in October 2018.[3] It is compatible with Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10. Windows versions (1.xx) were released after Mac OS X version 2.xx, and are priced the same as the Mac version despite the Windows version having fewer features. The developers have stated version numbers will be aligned when version 3.0 for Windows is released, currently in beta[15] and expected during 2020.[16] Windows version 1.0 users who buy now will receive a free upgrade to version 3 upon its release. Previous Windows version 1.0 owners will be able to upgrade to version 3 for $25.
See also
- Calibre (software)
- Comparison of text editors
- List of text editors
- Sigil (application)
- Storyist
- yWriter
- Wavemaker Novel Writing Software
References
- "Scrivener Release Notes". Literature & Latte. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
- "Scrivener Release Notes". Literature & Latte. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
- "Scrivener Release Notes". literatureandlatte.com. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
- "Scrivener 3.0 Beta 44". Literature & Latte. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
- "Scrivener 1.9.0.1 Linux beta released 21 October 2015". literatureandlatte.com. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
- Heffernan, Virginia (6 January 2008). "An interface of one's own". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 10 December 2008. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
- Bailey, Dan (24 January 2013). "Writing as programming". danbailey.net. Archived from the original on 2 October 2015. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
- Watt, Justin (2012). "Keith Blount, founder and lead developer at Literature & Latte". objectivesee.com. Archived from the original on 2 February 2012. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
- Cordella, Francesco (May 2013). "Scrivener and me: an interview with Keith Blount". avventuretestuali.com. Archived from the original on 27 April 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
- "About - Clever Dictionary". cleverdictionary.com. Archived from the original on 26 November 2014. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
- "Scrivener just got a whole lot smaller". Literature and Latte (official Scrivener site). 27 June 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
- Laden, Greg (29 August 2014). "Scrivener on Linux: Try it, you'll like it". scienceblogs.com. Archived from the original on 8 September 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2017. Updated as: Laden, Greg (2 January 2016). "Scrivener on Linux: Oh Well..." scienceblogs.com. Archived from the original on 14 May 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
- https://www.wayoflinux.com/blog/scrivener-returns
- "Scrivener for Mac OS X Download". literatureandlatte.com. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
- "Scrivener 3.0 Beta 44". Literature and Latte. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
- "Introducing Scrivener 3". Literature & Latte. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
External links
- Official website
- "Developer Spotlight: Literature and Latte". Applegeeks. February 2007. Archived from the original on 11 January 2008. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
- Hernandez, Gwen (2012). Scrivener for dummies. Chichester, UK; Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 9781118312476. OCLC 773671868.
- Turnball, Giles (February 2007). "Keith Blount's Scrivener". MacUser. Archived from the original on 24 May 2007. Retrieved 2 October 2007.