Uses This

1277 interviews since 2009

A picture of John Moltz

John Moltz

Writer, editor (Crazy Apple Rumors Site)

in editor, mac, writer

Who are you, and what do you do?

I'm John Moltz and after working in corporate IT for what seemed like 9 million years, I've been a freelance writer for the past two and I haven't starved yet. That's probably mostly because my wife works and I'm not a picky eater but I think that still counts as a success. People pay me to write things. Admittedly not a lot, but it's still pretty cool.

What hardware do you use?

Primarily I use a 2012 11-inch MacBook Air which I love, love, love, but I also write a fair amount on my iPad Air with a Zagg Keys Cover. The MacBook Air is probably the best writing tool I've ever used, given that most of my writing relies on referring to other materials, so fast application switching is important. The iPad is better for distraction-free writing. My office is also littered with older Macs -- 11, to be precise. I think I may have a hoarding disorder of some kind. There's a Plus, a blueberry iBook, a Titanium PowerBook and a 2007 iMac, which is still chugging along as my home media server.

I have two desks, a sit-down glass-top Dania desk and a standing architect-style desk I cobbled together myself from stuff I got at Home Depot. It's a little rough around the edges, but I'm sure there's a Hemingway anecdote that makes a homemade desk seem more writerly.

And what software?

On the Mac I write almost exclusively in BBEdit. I've experimented with Ulysses, iA Writer and Scrivener but I can't seem to break the BBEdit habit. On my iPad I use Byword. I write everything in Markdown and sync with Dropbox. Condoleezza Rice then immediately prints it out to check for spelling errors and subversive thoughts.

What would be your dream setup?

I wouldn't use any other machine than the 11-inch Air, so maybe just a faster one with more RAMs and gigabits and stuff. I'd love a new, faster iMac for serving media but this one keeps working. It'd be a shame if it accidentally fell off the desk one day...