Scrivener for Linux—how about a fundraiser?

Scrivener Scrivener on Linux (Unofficial)
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Due to the end of support for Windows 10, some users are planning to switch to Linux, which creates new needs for using Scrivener on this system.

We also know that the team behind Scrivener is a small company and that writing a version specifically for Linux could be quite costly—has anyone thought about possibly estimating the cost and raising funds to create a Linux version?

Linux is now such a simple and easy-to-use system (especially versions such as Ubuntu or Mint) that a native version could be reconsidered.
It could look like this:

  • Scrivener version as a snap or flatpak package.
  • Trial version (30 days) available for download from Snapcraft or Flathub.
  • The licensing matter is negotiable (either a version for Windows and Linux, or a discount for those migrating from Windows, or a completely new license).

I would be very grateful for feedback from both the Community section (especially users who have experience with such fundraisers; apart from Kickstarter and Patreon, I don’t know of any other services) and the creators of Scrivener.

Thank you very much for reading this thread!

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The topic of fundraising for a Linux version has come up before.

I think our bottom line is that we are a for-profit company and will decide whether to develop a Linux version based on whether it makes business sense. A Kickstarter is unlikely to raise enough to financially justify the project on its own – do you have any idea what software developers cost? – and we don’t want to take money from our users under false pretenses.

Speaking entirely hypothetically if we did decide to, say, run a paid beta program to gauge interest in a Linux version, we have the capacity to do that in house. We aren’t really interested in having an outside third party raise money (which they would then control) on our behalf.

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My word. Haven’t people heard of Windows 11. It’s worked since day 1, day 1 minus 2 months for me.

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Among other issues, there’s quite a lot of otherwise reasonably current hardware that won’t run it.

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Work-arounds for the TPM version 2.0 dilemma are dime a dozen these days.

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Thank you so much for reply and, to be honest, I don’t have any idea about cost of software development.
For this moment everything is clear, thank you again for response and great work for Scrivener :slight_smile:

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Software development is extremely expensive, especially in first world countries. Currently it seems that companies are betting on Seniors + AI. Nobody wants junior profiles, like me, nor does it give me the opportunity to learn anything. If this continues, I will soon dedicate myself again to another sector. In the near future, companies will cynically complain that they have no people to replace their retiring seniors. :unamused_face:

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An alternative is to use either a platform-agnostic browser based writing app, or, use markdown like Ulysses or iaWriter apps eschew.
Both these are legitimate suggestions that I’ll be investigating, given the Win11 and Apple nonsense.

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I have been trying alternatives for years, but none come close to Scrivener’s functionalities to meet my needs. Other programs conceive of writing as if it were similar to filling out forms or laying out a magazine in InDesign.

Scrivener is a very special program. I consider it a feat, a software creation that is unmatched due to its modular functions that are adaptable to any user.

Because of that, I cannot imagine migrating my projects in the short or medium term. I am hopeful, like other users, that there will be a Linux version on the 20th anniversary of its first release. :heart_eyes:

Regards.

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I have completely abandoned Microsoft Windows and switched to Linux Mint distro, burning the bridge behind me.

No going back, after what Microsoft planned for us, forced surveillance, forced AI, data mining which they sells to third parties, etc. They are corrupted. Utterly greedy. No wonder they’re obsessed with grabbing as much money off us as they could through the bloat Windows. No thanks. I am not a product they can sell. they are corrupted, no doubt of it now, etc. No thanks.

I’m hoping for a Scrivener for Linux version available soon.

I just tested Scrivener 3 for Windows using Wine, and that was a disaster. After many hours overnight of trying I figured out how to remove Wine. Finally removed. I really do not want to repeat this nightmare again.

Looking at what is the only best option: Help get Scrivener Linux-ready. I am interested. Also Scapple for Linux, too, that would be useful, too.

This is my response to your feedback. I am Windows migrant, pleading for Scrivener for Linux asylum. I don’t want to go back to corrupted Microsoft country no more. What they done is the last straw as far as I am concerned. I rather be free than be enslaved by their greed, bogged down by their bloat. No more.

I had endured Windows’ constant updates, constant intrusions for years, since I started with Win 95 back in 1997.

I have observed my behaviour, it is much like Stockholm Syndrome, being loyal to Windows as if it’s still good enough, yet Microsoft consistently betrays us over and over, much like abuser does with abused. I don’t like that. I don’t like being abused just because they claims to be “helpful with user experience” crap. I have endured years of abuse by Microsoft. No more. No longer. I decided I will no longer be enslaved by Microsoft shoddy OS and their stupid ways.

I am so tired of fixing problems BloatWindows caused. Not much energy for pure writing. It’s best to leave BloatWindows.

Yesterday I installed Linux Mint 22.2 over my entire hard drive. There is no going back. Yes, I backed up my files, hoping I could use Wine, or such to install Scrivener, but that did not work well, as I have finally got rid of the Wine that was broken, not doing that twice.

I liked Linux Mint, it’s smooth, fast, and best of all, stable. It’s incredible. Awesome Linux. I should have done this years ago, but I was afraid of not having Scrivener and other software that have been useful for me. So now I am starting over and trying all sorts of softwares that I can replace the ones I lost, except for Scrivener, I really really loves Scrivener, it is the most versatile software for writers. All other writing softwares I tests are inferior, and like someone said here, more like “fill in the form” type.

No more constant pop ups from BloadWindows telling me I got to update this tiny little bit, and that tiny little bit, and on and on.

Peace of mind, and awesome no-distraction focus on writing. Cool!

Please, mate, us Windows migrants needs Scrivener for Linux version, that would be awesome. We’d be forever grateful.

As for payments, etc… well, I am willing to put in $50, is that okay? Or we can be investors? That’ll be cool, yeah? Whichever works, yeah.

Let Scrivener for Linux roars to life! :smiley:

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You might be able to modify Wine’s code and compile it manually to fix some of the pointer misplace.
Here is my patch:

I think the key issue is not funding, but manpower. The development team is working on a new app.
Qt is cross-platform, theoretically, as long as the few dependencies are resolved, a Linux version can be compiled directly.
In a post requesting a Windows ARM64 version, the developer mentioned dependencies that need to be resolved, and I think they are stuck with the same issue.

Although I think except for the activation system, most of the issues are minor and can be temporarily disabled.

The Qt style under Linux is much better than under Windows. I don’t like the styles in Windows.
The worst part is, my laptop under Windows 11, as soon as the screen turns off, the system starts checking for updates constantly, then the fan spins wildly, and power consumption jumps from 5 watts to 30 watts. I don’t always have inspiration; sometimes I use paper or ipad to jot down ideas, but a sudden howl from the fan can make the inspiration run away. This forces me to switch to Arch Linux for writing.

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Hi!

I’m sorry about your experience with Wine. Scrivener 3 does work fine on Linux Mint 22. I have it running there. However, it is easier to use a program to manage Wine instead of configuring it directly. I recommend Lutris, which has a script to configure Scrivener automatically:

Another option is to use a Windows virtual machine and keep it without an internet connection.

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Linux is a different place. Generally attracting people that have interest in computing and are not newbies that uses the PC as dactylographic machine.

Let’s be honest here, nothing beats ‘plain text’ for productivity and long run data safety. Also, these Linux users are generally concerned about open-source. In short, it is really hard to make money in Linux (included Android) platforms.

I really doubt that any sort of software can become rentable in the Linux platform.

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Dactylographic… I love it. I don’t understand it, but I love it.

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I’ve been using Windows since 3.1, and before that, CP/M on a DEC machine. For writing, I used WordStar. (Don’t laugh. None other than George R. R. Martin still uses WordStar!)

Until the recent intrusion of AI into every nook and cranny of Windows 11 and the Microsoft Office suite, I’ve been content for decades. But now I hate that AI is being shoved in my face at every turn. I’m beginning to rage.

I’ve never seriously thought of crossing over to Linux, but I just might join the freedom fighters to take on the Death Star.

But I have soooooooooooo many Windows-based apps… any sage advice?

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Manpower issues can often be resolved with sufficient application of money. (I.E. hire more people.) But, as noted above, a serious development effort would require a larger investment than would be reasonable to crowdfund.

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Really hard to say. It depends on how much you can make you workflow work in plain text and how much you want to lean open-source softwares…

My workflow is very simple, I just take notes, have an Agenda and that is it. Mainly editing plain text. Thus I can move between any platform without much loss.

The unique apps that are game changers for me:
Alfred,
Keyboard Maestro,

I could migrate all my workflows to fully work in the terminal.

I would miss a lot FoxTrot PDF search, surely and a lot of small utilities that I bought in the app stores. But, I would be able to keep the core.

The first thing is to search for alternatives for your main apps, like in the site https://alternativeto.net . Find open-source alternatives, install on Windows (there are generally cross-platform). If you can migrate, you transition to Linux will be much easier.

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I know I asked a simple question that was hard to respond to. It’s a starting point, so I’ll poke around and see how this might work. I appreciate your tips on this, @WritingGuy.

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I said this because this is exactly what prevents people from moving their work. The so-called “vendor lock-in” that they face when they want to change.

I will give you examples:

If you use “Evernote”, you will have a hard time because they store all your notes in a proprietary format that is the hell to get out of.

On the other hand, the app “Obsidian” just operates on plain text files (also they are cross-platform), so you have the best of both worlds: no matter which platform you choose, you will have the same software, plus, if you change the software, no problem, your data will remain the same as before.

I honestly think that people are much more concerned about ‘data’ now than before, thus, the apps that can provide really good functionality with clear and open access data will remain. The old strategy of software companies to “lock” people inside their ‘app’ and, thus, keeping them paying just because of the ‘data’ will not work in the near future. Thus, if you heavily use an application that has a proprietary format (without sane export options), you are in a very dangerous situation, where your work will not be portable and, also, if the software goes away, you will basically lose everything. This is the Golden Rule to understand the so-called Unix philosophy: interoperability, portability, and open formats.

If you have a wonderful app that has magical features, but this same app does not have open formats, then, in Unix view, this is crap. They will always prioritize the Unix philosophy over any other set of features.

The main thing here is the working principle. I strongly do not advise you to move to Linux now; it will be a really blow for your workflow and productivity. If you do so, you will hate Linux. Firstly, I do strongly advise you to have this “open format” plus “open source” software mentality. Trying to find alternatives for your most used things in the PC, I will give you examples:

For notes, do not use any proprietary format (Apple Notes, Evernote, etc.), just use ‘.md’ or ‘.txt’ and software that works on them (software: Obsidian or Zettlr (open-source)).

For Bibliography, I strongly recommend you to move to .bib files, they are plain text and easily portable and parsed (software: JabRef - Multiplatform, or Zotero (open-source) with BetterBibTeX).

For Documents, there is the very good LibreOffice (open-source), that you can manage files.

More specific things like a text expander, there is also an open-source project Expand here that works cross-platform.

But be aware, move slowly, trying to learn these software first, then trying to do things that you already do on the habitual software and, finally, implement new things.

The Unix philosophy really makes a difference in the advanced user case, when you need these things:

  • interoperability, portability, and open formats.

Thus, at the beginning will be “frustrating” because “easy things” are “hard” to get. But this is just an illusion, after you master the basics you will see how the Unix philosophy and the freedom of software improve your workflow.

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You’ll find it a headache to begin with, but once you get to grips with all the quirks–plenty on YT to help–then it’s like returning to a past time when software felt free of $$$ dancing baloney/bloat. It’s more than worth it IMO. You can always dual boot (install both Linux and Windows and switch between them on boot) for the Windows software you still need. And it’s possible to use Dropbox to easily sync between them. It’s not possible, though, really, to replace Scrivener, though most things can be done on Linux (by learning GIMP/Inkscape etc.) I grew up on 3.1 too. I don’t know, really: it’s like falling in love with (instead of dreading) using a computer again.

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