End of an Era!

[The Realm Wanderer]

The era of the typewriter has long been over, with the domination of computers, but they were always still available, up until now that is.
The last typewriter factory in the world has closed its doors. A mere 500 machines are left in stock at the only manfufacturer who continued to make them. I guess he just couldn't let go of the thing that until computing, revolutionised the art of writing.
A moment's silence please for our fallen brothers...

 

[Telcontar]

Wow, that is pretty big. I started writing on typewriters, a cool old electric one that I found in the basement when I was seven.

It's a bit sad for nostalgia's sake, but I certainly wouldn't actually use a typewriter again, if I still had the option of using a computer.

 

[Digital_Fey]

That's pretty sad - I learned to type on an old typewriter when I was little and had endless fun with it. However, perhaps all is not lost. I read an article the other day about a guy who wires old type-writers to serve as usb computer keyboards: USB Typewriter

 

[GameMasterNick]

At least they'll live on as Steampunk Keyboards...
Steampunk Keyboard Mod | The Steampunk Workshop
My old netbook, rest in peace, had a similar mod.

 

[The Realm Wanderer]

I don' think anyone would choose to use one now, but its still a precious piece of writing history

 

[Sigillimus]

Interesting, interesting. This probably means that in fifty or maybe even one-hundred years, they'll start becoming pricy relics of the olden days.

 

[f00fc7c8]

The era of the typewriter has long been over, with the domination of computers, but they were always still available, up until now that is.
The last typewriter factory in the world has closed its doors. A mere 500 machines are left in stock at the only manfufacturer who continued to make them. I guess he just couldn't let go of the thing that until computing, revolutionised the art of writing.
A moment's silence please for our fallen brothers...

Actually, it was only that one factory in India that closed.

It's not over yet. However, I don't ever miss typing on a typewriter.

Has The Last Typewriter Factory Closed? Not Really : The Two-Way : NPR

 

[Joe the Gnarled]

I remember using a cursive typewriter in 4th grade. It was the only one I have ever seen that did not type in print.

 

[Dante Sawyer]

Wow... I feel so young... I honestly don't think I've ever seen a typewriter outside of movies... haha! I'm still in high school, but I can't remember not using/having a computer.

 

[Kelise]

I played on them when I was young, but they broke before I was old enough to appreciate them, and since I live in a tiny town no one could fix them :\

 

[sashamerideth]

Parents had one in the attic, quite old, and always jammed up, sounded cool though.

 

[Naomi Ningishzidda]

I really don't see a difference between my keyboard and a typewriter. Am i missing something? The typewriter style with the ink spool strikes me as a messy and inelegant solution to just pen and paper, which I do often use.

We see this mental block in the painting community too, where people just have to have the most expensive easle or paintbrushes before they feel they can be an artist. It doesn't work that way and is just a convenient dodge to put off the creative process.

Art is not about the tools, in fact if I notice them too much at all it is usually because they are harassing me with their inefficiency

 

[Donny Bruso]

My father had one that I remember using when I was very young. When started writing, It was on an electric typewriter that I never really liked. A few years after I started using that, I acquired a computer of my own and have written that way ever since.

@Naomi For the purposes of the actual typing, no there isn't much difference. However there is something 'writerish' about the sound a typewriter makes as you're working. The downside to it, of course is you can't correct or change text as easily as you can on a computer. I would certainly never want to write a full-length novel on one, given the number of mistakes I make in typing, and the changes I make to my writing weeks or months after I've typed it. However they are certainly cool props, and in some cases, elegantly designed machines. And as Nick pointed out, they can evoke a steampunk feel, at least for me, just by sitting there looking cool.

You're right, it's not about the tools, but about the mindset that those tools evoke. If a pen and paper works for you, great. Someone somewhere I'm sure will swear by their typewriter as the ultimate writing machine. It's all personal preference.