ZO219  Yes, I know others have responded before me ... but I can't get past this astonishing idea that it is a *flaw* of Ulysses that it is not WYSIWYG ... when that is exactly what is intended. Do people not read, say, the description before they post?

One could as easily say that NisusWriter is flawed because it does all this darn formatting as you write. Hello.

You pays your money and you takes your choice. And you try not to waste other MacUpdate readers' time.  
(Version 2.0.4)

MIKILC  This would probably be the best dedicated writer's tool out there except for one fatal flaw: it isn't WYSIWYG. What appeals about the programme is its project-based approach, with its ability to hold different documents together in the project and notes tied to the document. But the idea not to use standard rich text editing but tagged styles which then translate into appropriate formatting when exported is a bore. All those inserted tags and highlights actually interrupt one's reading over the text, whereas experienced writers (this one has several books and numerous articles to his credit, as well as innumerable documents for students etc.) have long learned to use formatting and layout properly as they write (like italicising titles of books or films, or making indented lists) which cannot be done effectively here. I suspect this is aimed at would-be writers, not real ones. Would be nice if the authors produced a rich text version of the programme - they might call it 'Dubliners' (or even 'Finnegans Wake').  
(Version 2.0.3)

STEVEN GOODHEART  As a writer/editor, I can definitely see the appeal of this program. It does have a lot of editing/text manipulation horsepower. And yet, as I tried it out, I had this weird sense that I was suddenly back using WordStar on my first computer, a CP/M machine. I used WordStar and WordPerfect extensively, "back in the day" and knew by heart almost all of the embedded codes for formatting text. Then, WYSIWYG word processors began to make their debut, and it seemed like magic to see your actual formatting onscreen, rather than having to imagine what it would look like, until you printed, or did a formatting preview. After a while, embedded codes seemed so old-school and cumbersome to many people.

And now, 2009, 21st century, here comes Ulysses, with (very powerful) embedded codes and a WordStar-like embedded code paradigm! Of course, Ulysses is way more sophisticated, in many ways, than good ol' Wordstar, but I find it fascinating to see the power of embedded codes presented as way to do day-to-day editing, and not just layout, like LaTeX or the like.

I can definitely see how I could use the Ulysses approach as a way to get WYSIWYG out of the way, and endless tinkering with layout and format, and to really zero in on text creation and content. Of course, one can do this, with discipline, in a any good writing program, and one has to note that Ulysses also offers many, many other way-cool and data-base like features for keeping track of research and notes. I don't know if this has enough to move me away from Scrivenir or StoryMill, but it's definitely piqued my interest.  
(Version 2.0.1)

CHANGEWK  Hmmm. Half the price of what it used to be plus an interesting new feature set plus their website advertising is no longer arrogant. Finally got my interest.  
(Version 2.0)

LEV  It would be nice if everything were free. And a Lexus is really just a souped-up Suzuki Swift...

Actually I don't think putting Scrivener and Ulysses head to head is quite right. I've used both since they first appeared and I still use both. Scrivener is a brilliant free-form organizer with some very sophisticated writing tools; Ulysses encourages a more disciplined approach. To be glib, Scrivener is for feeling your way forward, Ulysses is for managing a writing project when you already know more or less where you're going.

Given that Ulysses is developed by (I believe) working journalists and Scrivener by a chap who wanted to write a novel and couldn't find the right app to do it in, it's curious that, for me at least, Scrivener turns out to be ideal for non-fiction while Ulysses is rather better-suited to the total immersion required for writing fiction. (Others may disagree, of course.)

Put even more simply, I find Scrivener encourages a smaller granularity that Ulysses. Scrivener's natural unit is a scene at a time; Ulysses', a chapter at a time. Depends what you're doing and how you like to write.

As to price -- well, if you write in order to put bread on the table, the cost of either is small beer compared with the benefits they deliver.

Try them both. You might end up buying them both. How many tools does a carpenter have in his toolbox?  
(Version 1.6r2)

LAWRENCE GOODMAN  I want to add my voice to those who think this app is outrageously priced. It does have some nice features, but it’s essentially a souped-up text editor. Many of its features can be found in Textmate while Scrivener, in fact, has many more features and is far cheaper.

I really hope the developers will listen and lower the proce.  
(Version 1.6r2)

KATASTROPHE  When I first bought Ulysses in (I think) 2003, I didn't balk at the price because there was simply nothing out there doing the job. The closest thing -- a program called Z-Write -- was on its way to becoming abandonware and had stability issues, and of the small number of other programs I found that let me do tabbed documents, all were simplistic to the point of irritating, buggy, or top-loading the program with useless (buggy) features in an attempt to make it more like Word, the program I was trying to get away from in the first place.

Scrivener and other newcomers have certainly changed the playing field, but I do think some of the comments here overly harsh. Is Ulysses high-priced compared to other programs? Yes. Is it the program for you? It may well not be; certainly check out the cheaper options first. But the beauty of Ulysses is not only what it does but what it doesn't do. It doesn't distract you, and yet it does deliver pretty much every feature I actually need, neatly, quietly, and in such a manner that the features are immediately accessible when I look and completely invisible when I don't. That's rare. And, for me, it's worth every penny.

I also want to note that the price on this listing is somewhat misleading. The actual price of Ulysses is (at the moment) eighty Euro, meaning its US dollar price varies depending on the strength of the Euro. Right now it's running about $100, a quarter less than the listing price.  
(Version 1.6r2)

JONATHAN GOLDEN  Much, much to expensive for what it does.   
(Version 1.6r2)

LORD LIGHTNING  Don't know what version of Scrivener Talazem was evaluating - but v 1.12b does Markup perfectly. So still no contest and a spurious and flawed comparison.

Don't get me wrong, Ulysses is fine for what it is, it is just that Scrivener is a direct competitor and it is streets better for writers - and the developer really does listen, seriously listen. Maybe that's part of why Scrivener is so superior. Version 2 is scheduled to appear in September so I strongly suggest that you download v1.12b and become familiar with it. At least look at the forum: http://www.literatureandlatte.com/forum/

and at the video on the FEATURES section of the Scrivener splash page: http://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.html  
(Version 1.6)

TALAZEM  This is an wonderful program for what it claims to do: plain text writing. But it really shines when one uses it in conjunction with LaTeX and other markup based writing. Why? Because the new features of 1.5 -- like inline style formatting and markers that can be set to export as markup -- can be be set to export as markup. This is excellent for people who like to export ultimately to LaTeX, with all the necessary markup, but do not want to *see* that markup on the screen as they write. This is a *huge* step in LaTeX editing/writing.

So, for example, you can apply styles to text -- for example, a yellow highlight, or the color red. That's what you see on your screen. Then, upon exoprt, you can have that be transformed to something else, such as LaTeX escapes.

Again, this isn't for people who just want to "type up some notes"; go use TextEdit for that. Don't care about plain text or LaTeX, and need RTF? Then Scrivener is the best of the breed (though, it must be said, that Scrivener also has an *awesome* LaTeX export mechanism due to its MMD integration).

The major weakness of Ulsses? The organizer. I understand they have their own philosophy, but ultimately, if I want to export into something PRINTABLE (as opposed to hypertext), then I need an outliner, a folder-type hierarchy. Why? Because that's how books and book-length documents (like theses) are organized. As it stands, Ulysses effectively has a two-level deep hierarchy. When I'm writing a book, or a thesis, that just isn't enough. Long printed publications are hierarchically based; that's reality. And I need a program that allows me to use that intuitive form of organization, and to move parts of the document around that hierarchy on the fly. It's just too hard to keep track of parts, chapters, sections, and subsections of a thesis or a book without as it stands now.

So -- since other have (unfairly) attacked Ulysses and praised the "competition -- let's be fair, and compare them based on relative *merits*: where do each of Ulysses and Scrivener shine (only focusing on strengths not existant in the other; not commenting on "writing software" features they both have)?

Scrivener: it has a database (to store your research files such as other RTFs, web pages, pdfs, etc, that you can then view within the prgoram); it is an RTF editor (if that's what you need); it has an excellent hierarchical organizer and outliner; it has excellent export abilities through MMD.

Ulysses: the ability to apply inline styles or markers that can then be translated into markup upon export is revolutionary, especially for LaTeX users; it is plain text (if that's what you need); you can choose to have inline footnotes, or footnotes in the notes pane; it is one of the most aesthetically pleasant pieces of software I have seen (not that Scrivener is ugly, and this is a subject thing, yes).

If the devs are listening, please put a hierarchical organizer (outliner) at the top of your developing priorities. That is the only thing necessary to make your excellent program perfect for people with plain text/LaTeX needs.

And if you're a user: please don't flame an apple for not being an orange (and mind you, neither are lemons).  
(Version 1.5)

ZO219  If anyone who wishes to write spends this kind of money on ... software that touts, on its feature list, Tabs! and, Automatically Updates! ... I will personally come over to your house and whap you upside the head ... One rarely sees such overblown - oh dear, another bad word occurs to me. To all newcomers to the Mac, welcome, this isn't typical at all. Just write.  
(Version 1.5)

LORD LIGHTNING  Who cares!

I just did a feature by feature comparison with Scrivener and I can see why I decided to drop Ulysses form my computer. I transferred all my writing stuff to Scrivener and quite simply my productivity soared. I can only suggest you do the same kind of comparison:

http://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.html  
(Version 1.5)

JOHN F.  I think Ulysses is really a top notch writing environment. No distraction, focus, just right. When I move away from this app, to try out writing in other apps, I get blocked. I have licenses for many apps (OmniOutliner, Hog Bay Mori, DevonThink Pro, Circus Ponies Notebook, and more), but this app is really the stuff for me. It just instantly gets me flowing. Words just start pouring. I don't know what it is about Ulysses that does the trick. I only know that it does. I still use OmniOutliner Pro for notes and outlines, but I do the writing in Ulysses. I think OmniOutliner Pro and Ulysses have become my favorite apps. They both are simple and simply do the trick. I think the transparency is what I love most about Ulysses. What you see is what you get. Nothing too fancy, nothing really hidden. Just focus and overview. For some people, Ulysses will really get you going. It is clearly not for everybody, but choice is good. It's good to know that there's an app for everybody right here on the Mac platform. I am also very happy that the developers didn't change any of the app's philosophy along the way. For the people who depend on this app, it's really reassuring. I choose to use this app because of the philosophy it introduces. I've seen so many apps that get added with a zillion features along the way that I don't recognize the app I fell in love with any more. Not so with Ulysses. Features do get added over time, but the app feels the same. And it is one of few apps which dares to make a bold statement and is made to cater for a specific audience, instead of searching for an audience.  
(Version 1.2.2r2)

LAWRENCE MARTIN  I'm using Ulysses because you can just type away without the many options word processors have. About all I miss is italics, because this is used widely in books and does have its uses.

There's a solid feel to it -- I find I trust Ulysses to type away into. Another very handy thing, perhaps not mentioned enough, is the Latex export. I'm new to this format myself, but if you get hold of TeXShop to make use of an exported Latex file, then hit typeset and print... well, you get a really, really nice looking manuscript; easier to read than a standard word processor print.

One final thing I'll note -- I had a little look at the saved Ulysses file. It is a package. So I did a "show package contents". Inside are more folders and I found the text documents of my writing. Somehow I found this very reassuring, as text files are simple and can be used on any platform. Also, it showed me that Ulysses is doing some extra work behind the scenes compared to, say, a word processor, which would generally save your work in a single file in its own format.

In short, features/qualities I like:

* Stable feel. * Clean, non-distracting interface. * Latex Exporting. * Clever saved files.  
(Version 1.2.2r2)

GAIJIN  I've used Ulysses for 3 months now, and moved all my writing into it. I've tried Copyright, Devonthink, Jer's Writer (a favourite) and Scrivener (another close favourite); in the end, decided to go with Ulysses.

My reasons can be summarised in 3 words: productivity, speed, pleasure.

— Clear interface that speeds up work. I can see all I need on one window. I can view two documents in one window; helps editing a lot.

— Full screen. The best implementation ever. After this beauty, I can't use this feature in other programs.

— Formatting on export is wonderful. First most powerful formatting tools that meets all my needs and saves tons of time.

— Little under-rated 'featurettes' here and there, e.g. coded itallics, superb word counting features, typewriter scrolling (the reason I bought it in the first place), etc. All these save time and help focus.

— Stability. I know I can rely on quality here.

— Good customer support. At first I was put off by the lads' sense of humour, but then it grew on me. A very friendly, supportive team.

For improvement wishes, I'd say I still miss some sort of chapter structuring and chapter sorting on export. But, as I understand, this will be added in the next version, so I don't sweat this too much.

Highly recommended. Good job by the design team.   
(Version 1.2.2)

LEV  The new update (1.2.2) adds a fair bit of extra functionality to what is already one of my professional (I'm a writer) mainstays. The Formatted Text Export plug-in solves a lot of my... well, not "problems" exactly, but things-I-have-learned-to-workaround-or-live-with. It's pretty powerful, though its power only becomes clear after a bit of fiddling around. Fortunately, I like fiddling around.

The app remains unique. Easy to think of it and CopyWrite as basically the same, but they aren't. To explain why in detail would take too much space here; easier to try both for yourself and go with the one that suits your working style.

It's still not ideal for academic writing -- footnotes are still a bit more complex than with e.g. Mellel, which handles them wonderfully -- but if your work involves primarily generating narrative text in the context of longer projects (I use it for both books and newspaper columns) then it's splendidly fuss-free, clean and powerful, and, remarkably, slightly less distracting than an old-fashioned typewriter. Which can only be good for The Flow...  
(Version 1.2.2)

ANONYMOUS  I'm a writer and teacher, and have been using Ulysses for about six months now and it simply rocks. The design took some getting used to, but I have to say it's helped me organize my ideas a great deal and improve my writing.

In addition, I've gotten quite a few "what program is that?" questions from interested bystanders while using the full screen mode on my laptop.

My only complaints until now have been a somewhat sluggish rendering with more than a few project files open and a couple of glitches with the LaTeX exporter. Both have been measurably improved in this version.

My other complaint is the price. I think it could be profitably lowered by about 15-20 Euros and increase the number of people buying the software.

There is also an active user support forum to which the developers respond regularly, which helps address all sorts of issues. Overall, a solid product that avoids feature bloat and keeps on improving.  
(Version 1.2.1r2)

LINGUINE  Absolutely delightful piece of software. However, not for the faint at heart. Offers no smoke screen of unnecessary features. May look barren at first. Gets you to work, and helps you get things done. Writers will appreciate it. Less distraction is simply better here, as any chess player at the board game of words will tell you. A clean work desk, an empty room, a cup of tea, a powerbook with Ulysses in full screen mode: before you know it, this setup will increase your weekly output - in quality and quantity. Definitely worth the price. Extensive trial phase.  
(Version 1.2.1)

ANONYMOUS  I used to be a fan of Ulysses, but Tiger seems to have broken it and they are very slow in updating their software. As it is, I can't use a bit of well-conceived, buggy code.

I'm trying other options.  
(Version 1.2)

STONEMAN  This is unconventional software that takes a little getting used to. After a short time, however, it can enormously increase your productivity. Unfortunately, its actual users don't seem to be posting here. To get an idea of usage scenarios (and problems) visit the user forum on the developer's website. There you'll find out why users embrace or say goodbye to Ulysses.  
(Version 1.2)

EPONYMOUS BOSCH  Ulysses is overpriced. I'll echo the sentiments of the previous poster who was dissed by the developer. It's an idiosyncratic solution to an "assumed problem", that of organizing the work of a creative writer. I say idiosyncratic, because it necessarily forces the user into blue-tec's particular way of doing things: a big multi-pane window and other violations of several sound user interface conventions.

I am also quite disturbed by the little updater hack that the authors seem to be using. You download the current version, and still get a popup telling you to download some bug fixes. If you let the program fix itself, a networked installer writes files to your system. It may be that these files are simply being copied to the application bundle, so there is likely nothing to worry about. But this is the clumsiest, sleaziest updater approach I have seen in a long time. Using a trick like this to try to collect information on software testers just stinks.  
(Version 1.2)

ANONYMOUS  Ulysses is quite over-priced. Take a look at CopyWrite, http://www.bartastechnologies.com/products/copywrite/  
(Version 1.1.1)

SPWARF  I tried Ulysse, and I don't know... I think it's really expensive, and for creative writing (novels, short stories, articles), you could always try the (now free) beta version of Jer's Novel Writer (at http://jerssoftwarehut.com/index.shtml), wich is 100% focused on stpry writing.  
(Version 1.1.1)

ANONYMOUS  I second the previous comment/review. Where's the progress? It's been a long time since the last update. I don't mind paying this much for an app, but it almost feels like development has been stalled. Well, Circus Ponies Notebook has also been at version 1.2 for a long time, but at least they've had bug fix releases, and they are now announcing version 2. I depend on Ulysses. It's the only app I can write with. All other apps distract me too much and I frequently go back to pen and paper. Please, let us know where the app is heading. Hopefully, the silence is just a sign of the developer hard at work. But when Tiger is finally released, I expect an update!  
(Version 1.1)

GRADUS  Ulysses is a very well-designed and efficient writing tool, but it's time for these guys to get a move on. Despite its many small bugs and annoyances, this program hasn't seen an update for almost a year, let alone a much-needed addition of features. That's simply not good enough for an app that costs 100 euros ($130 for you unfortunate US citizens).

If it was perfect, I'd tolerate their unhurried pace, but Ulysses has many shortcomings (one-level-only document organizer, lack of shortcuts, weak search function, to name only three), and with competitors like CopyWrite ($30) at their heels, they should work 25 hours a day to stay ahead. Ulysses still feels very much like a work in progress, but it hasn't made any progress since version 1.1.

(The devs have a tendency to blame this on an OS X bug that they can't work around so they have to sit and wait for Apple to do something about it -- but that's a dubious argument which I've never heard from any other software company.)

Compared to Ulysses' interface, CopyWrite is one clunky mofo, but most people compare prices and features, and CW's price/value ratio puts Ulysses to shame. Now that CW also has a full-screen view (and a much better one for that -- it even lets you switch between documents without leaving it), it's even harder to justify paying a whopping 100 bucks more for an app that might be more elegant but is certainly less powerful. An elegant interface is very important, and Ulysses set high standards in this field, but it's also an unseizable quality which only few people will perceive as being worth the premium price.

If you spend so much money on a 1.0 product, you usually do this to support and encourage the developers. I wouldn't say that I regret my purchase, but I'm very disappointed with their lack of progress. If a company sells a product with a price-tag that says "for professionals only", I expect them to show a professional attitude themselves. It won't help their sales and their reputation if they come over as a bunch of amateurs and slackers. There's so much potential in this app, so much talent and vision -- it shouldn't be wasted.  
(Version 1.1)

JCHRYSS  This program is excellent. The layout takes some getting used to but this program excells (like no other program) at authoring text content. If you combine this program with a basic design program like Apple Pages which excels with layout--you have the best of both worlds. There is nothing like this program.  
(Version 1.1)

LPS999  Ulysses has changed my life. Seriously! If you're a creative writer, or have other large writing projects that require bursts of imagination and the management thereof, give this demo a try. The streamlining (i.e. lack) of formatting options takes a little while to get used to -- but I now think of all that stuff as the SECOND phase of writing. Ulysses is for the FIRST phase, and it's wonderful. It reminds us that substance must come before form, which is easy to forget in our postmodern world.

I'm even brainstorming sections of my dissertation on Ulysses first, before exporting to Word and adding citations, etc. Using Ulysses has banished writer's block from my life.

Also, it's been EXTREMELY stable on my PowerBook G4 running Panther.  
(Version 1.1)

ATTEMPTEDWRITER  I wanted to like this product, I did, but the app is kind of unstable (yes, repaired permissions, disk, reinstalled the app, don't have anything else running, fresh test user account, tried everything) and I CAN'T AFFORD to lose my work. The interface is a lamentable mess and very un-mac-like. All this for only $100? Pass.  
(Version 1.1)

ANONYMOUS  funny that the reviews of this app are so long, but I guess it's the wordsy types who are using it. decent app, anyway. kind of slow though.  
(Version 1.1)

ANONYMOUS  After some frustrating times with CopyWrite, and tired of waiting for Z-Write to get up to par, I heard about Ulysses and decided to give it a try. Suffice it to say, I was smitten after using it for ten minutes. This a full featured project manager (project processor?) that goes well beyond what these other apps have to offer. It's truly a perfect tool for creative writers. I have easy access to my notes for my novel-in-progress, character sketches, chapters. Having a separate note window for each document is very handy. And when I'm ready to write, I hit fullscreen mode, which is worth the price of admission alone. I've used it extensively for several days now, and I've already registered. Some may balk at the price, and some may not get the lack of typical word procesing features, such as style sheets and formatting tools. But after trying everything under the sun (I've used Z-Write, CopyWrite and Appleworks extensively), I have finally found what I'm looking for.  
(Version 1.1)

ANONYMOUS  Writing's how I feed the family, has been for years. Fat years, lean years, but we _eat_. There's the baseline. Rate my opinion accordingly, as you will.

Ulysses. Usual story. Got the demo, liked much of it, complained about italics, used it, got told by my publishers that it's much better, & they'd prefer me to mark italics, not format them, because Quark can't identify them anyway. Thought "Well, there's that objection gone then", bought it, use it, love it.

The everything-in-sight window is excellent. And I find that the no-formatting bossiness is not only sensible but stylistically good sense. I, like many other writers, overuse them. Ulysses makes me think twice. I imported 10 chapters of a work in progress and forgot to mark up the italics in advance. Gone! Rats!

So I read through the ms. and in fact the majority of the italics were quite unnecessary -- they are just either laziness in sentence construction, or bossing the reader about (like exclamation marks, though not quite as bad).

There are two things I'd like. Footnotes, and indented paragraphs for extended quotes. The latter can be worked around. The former can't, which can be a bit annoying.

Enhancements? Yes. Better integration between the search-in-all-documents and the find-in-the-active document functions. Crank in the Lucene search engine, and wildcards. Search previews. Some odd interface quirks re naming and categorizing documents. No big deal. I imagine they'll come. (Meanwhile, I'll manage. I managed with a Selectric. How excited we all were about _that_! Typefaces! Erase! Wow! But it was still just... writing. You can do it with a pencil, really. ("This sucker won't _format_..."))

But with those caveats, I like it a lot. Price? It's the cost of a hundred words. For an every-day professional tool, that's peanuts. (For someone who's _trying_ to be a writer, though, it might seem steep. Think of it as an investment in the future. Either you eventually start to get paid, or you don't make it & you write off the investment. That's life.)

What we need now is a version which won't let us use adjectives. Now that _would_ be progress...  
(Version 1.1)

T  I just want to add that I think it's great that this app is geared towards a special kind of person, because that person is so often left out. The creative writer, the storywriter, is always being treated like any other text writer. The fact that Ulysses treats these persons different is very unusual, and I applaud the developers. Many apps have caused me to rather take the pen and paper to write my stories. As MrAndre writes, we writers - not all, but a lot of creative writers out there - are fussy sorts. All we care about is writing; all we care about is our creative thoughts and getting them on paper before they float into oblivion. The Spartan interface is a feature because we don't have to worry about anything. And the interface is very clean and doesn't distract.

The interface is also designed so that everything is just one click away. You have to understand that when I write stories, and others like me write stories, the story comes in bits and pieces. Ulysses is there to assist me and gives me one thing: overview. When I use NoteTaker, or other Notebook apps I mentioned in my previous comment, they don't give me that. I have to click and go back, and click to another folder or tab, and go back. Or I have to keep multiple documents open. Ulysses puts my notes beside my document text. I can split my document view into two, like any other word processor - but not NoteTaker, or NoteBook. All the snippets of story and dialog are by my side in a browser AND I can get a preview of the content of all those other documents in the browser, while keeping my current document in front of me. I can take text from that document preview and drag and drop the contents to my current document. Overview, no distraction, no burdens, it's just me, my thoughts, and my text. Ulysses serves me.

There are many out there who say: What about me? The developers don't serve me! Why don't they add this and that? Well, I think that by doing that, they would not be able to serve the people they want to serve in a good manner. And if the developers can survive, and I hope they can, by serving the likes of me, then I say: That's great. There are many apps out there that may serve others who have different, but equally valid, requirements.  
(Version 1.1)

MRANDRE  A lot of people have written in complaining that Ulysses eschews even the most basic of text-formatting. I think this reflects a basic failure to understand something those of us who like this program find so appealing: We don't _want_ to make it italics. There is no other program I am aware of that lets you edit multiple documents at once, with a per-document notepad setup that sits alongside. It sounds piddling, but we writer sorts are fussy sorts. The spartan aspects of this program really are a feature. The dream of programming is to relieve you of work you're not good at, freeing you to do what you are good at. Let the computer maintain an organizational scheme. I have writing to do. The developers are write. Formatting of any kind is for later. You may think it finicky, but great writing ideas are so ephemeral, two or three seconds can be the difference between getting your flash of genius recorded and thrashing desperately as it slips into the slushpile in the sky.

I actually think the developer's attitude is refreshing. "You don't like it? Don't buy it. Don't like the price? Don't buy it." Something about market forces. I read a comment on their forum that part of the higher price is to avoid an overly large market. Support costs, etc. I held back for a long time, balking at the price, but eventually came to the conclusion that there is nothing like it on any platform, and is the best at its intended use. Money sent.  
(Version 1.1)

T  This app really keeps you focussed on writing. I was reluctant at first, but been using it as a 30 day trial, and I'm beginning to see the light. I was always so preoccupied with how my text looked on the screen, and with the application interface, but Ulysses keeps my mind on the text. The interface is so clean.

A single project can hold multiple documents. I can take notes with each document I make, and see them side-by-side. I can easily copy and paste between documents. As a writer, I'm starting to love it. And I also love the full screen mode. No distractions whatsoever. When it really comes down to writing, I want to concentrate on the text and Ulysses just lets me do that. It is funny that an interface can make the difference - for me at least.

Mind you, this app is geared towards a special kind of person: the creative writer who doesn't want any distractions. It will not suit everybody needs. One shouldn't compare this app with NoteTaker. That is a powerful outliner and notebook app, just like Circus Ponies NoteBook. I have them both. I also use Hog Bay Notebook 2.3 for keeping all kinds of notes together. A better comparison is CopyWrite, but I don't like that interface.

People should try this app and judge it according to their needs and preferences. Also recommend you try the other apps I mentioned, but as I said, each app is different and feels different. Ulysses is powerful, but it is no outliner or notebook. It is essentially a writing tool.

Price is steep. Students and educators get a 50% discount.  
(Version 1.1)

JENS ALFKE  This is a "Mini-review" as I've only played with the demo mode.

The basic idea is good: adding some more levels of structure to let the author write a document in pieces. However, the choice to deliberately turn off rich text support in the Cocoa text editor view is perverse. It would have made sense as an option, but to deny me the ability to use italics is a deal-breaker right there.

Lesser issues: the UI has some strange details, like the fact that 'documents' within the project are organized and selected in a pane at the upper left of the window, but their name and category attributes are changed in a pane diagonally opposite, at the bottom right of the window. This really confused me for a minute.

Then there's the price, which is just crazy: over $100. My recommendation is to instead look at AquaMinds' NoteTaker which is an insanely powerful outliner / word processor with a very useful multi-page notebook metaphor. It supports notes, hyperlinking, and all sorts of other useful features, and costs only $70.  
(Version 1.1)

OLIVER TAYLOR  Laziness? You can't be serious. Have you used the program for more than a few minutes? Have you read any of the documentation? Laziness is the last thing these guys are guilty of. From the help files: "Concept: Concentration on the text is visible in the application layout: The editor itself sits in the window's center. It has no options for formatting. The whole application is designed and layed out accordingly."

Besides, there are ways to emphasize parts of the text. In fact in v.1.1 there is a highlighting feature, it's called "emphasis."  
(Version 1.1)

AWRITER  The fact that the developer has imposed the "no formatting" rule in the editor is ridiculous. It is not the developer's job to tell me how I should write. I think this rule is simply laziness on the part of the developer who then tries to justify a shortcoming in the program with the "I know what is best for you" attitude.  
(Version 1.0.3)

TEXTARBEITER  Ulysses has gotten even better - it does improve slowly, yet consistently ;). Resorting of Tabs is an essential feature for me, so the current Update 1.0.3 is quite welcome. The developers really listen to users' demands, yet are not watering down their basic concept, which is great! Try Ulysses if you need a high-usability writing tool that can save multiple documents and notes in one project file and keeps all your memos and text modules perfectly searchable. Not the cheapest of products, but extra quality has a slightly higher pricetag, as mac users know from experience ;-).  
(Version 1.0.3)

BOB TORRES  I use Ulysses to write articles for academic journals and book proposals. I like the way that Ulysses lets you just focus on content and get formatting out of the way (though i believe you can do bold, italics, and other formatting as you type -- see the manual). For me, being able to work on different sections separately is useful - it allows me to focus intently on what I currently need to be focusing on. However, the real advantage of this software for me is being able to write notes and comments about particular document sections that I'm working on. Ulysses's interface makes this easy to do and easy to keep track of, especially in comparison with other word processing apps. This is more of a creativity and organizational tool for writing than an all-around word processor, so don't expect this to be another Word clone (if you do want a nice word processor, check out Mellel!). The only downside is the regular price (I got an academic price, which I think was quite fair at 30EUR). The developer is highly responsive and hard working as well.  
(Version 1.0.3)

QUILLY  I played with this but it's overpriced and underfeatured if you ask me. I like simle word processors like Appleworks and TextEdit. However the more I play with Haxial's TextEdit the more I find my self using it. I recommend giving it a test drive at least and reading about all it's features before making judgement.  
(Version 1.0.3)

ANONYMOUS  In a nutshell:

Good points - easy to understand and use, fair number of features.

Bad points - lack of ability to use rich text (italics, underlines etc.) and a price that can only be described as an ego trip of the developer. In the end that will be costly to them. Many are already turning to copywrite and another guy is soon to release a freeware version of something similar. Stay tuned...  
(Version 1.0.2)

ANDY  Just started messing around with Ulysses today and am impressed overall, from the format to the James Joyce-inspired name for a book writing program. The interface is incredibly simple to figure out and enjoyable. It has a lot of functions I have been looking for.

However....

Don't know if I'll buy it and here's why: The formatting has been not employed (supposedly the creators did this on purpose). I'm not down with this. I like to put words in italics on occasion. It's a classical form of emphasis. I like to bold section heads on occasion if I feel like it. It's sort of the way I write within chapters. This isn't so big as the italics, which are a must. A lot of nonfiction uses it as well.

The reasoning behind having the formatting disabled seems a bit more than arrogant. It's the software developer telling me what I should and should not be using my time on. I look for programs that offer me the most versatile tools. I want to make choices like that.

Maybe some people are addicted to fonts and formats like alcoholics and hootch and have to have some sort of draconian AA assistance to kick the habit, but with the price already on the spendy side of town, I want some ass-kissing. I want software that says "you want to underline that? Right away sir, no problem sir."

Turn these necessary and useful tools on, and you might have a deal.  
(Version 1.0.2)

ANNOYED USER  Sorry - the price and the interface are both major turn-offs. I frequently lose data and am told 'sorry' and that I should open a package file and try this and this to get it back. I'm not a computer guy, I'm a writer. It wouldn't be so bad if the price were more realistic. It's not a word processor so why's it more expensive?  
(Version 1.0.2)

ANONYMOUS  Much improvement with version 1.02. I particularly like the full screen option.

This is the ideal program for people who want to just get on with writing.

I don't need all the text editing functionality other products provide, thats what I pay an editor for!

No bugs at all for me with Version 1.00, however version 1.02 seems to have erased my registration details.  
(Version 1.0.2)

DORIAN INNES  Could use lots of basic text functions like: text centering, the ability to copy and paste between Microsoft Word (when you copy from Word to Ulysses it aligns everything to the left, doesnt keep indents and turns double spacing into single) and just the basic things like that. I would really like to use this program, but as of now, it really meets next to none of my needs. I'd reallly like to not have to use a few programs for my creative writing projects, but until this thing gets up to speed with the basics, it looks like I'm forced to erase the program all together. It's a waste of hard drive space as it stands right now. And the price for this sub-beta software is ridiculous.  
(Version 1.0.2)

MAX  I'm sorry for this - bug has been fixed.  
(Version 1.0.2)

DORIAN INNES  Wish this app would open instead of just crash everytime i go to open it. Anyone know how to fix this? The app looks really cool. I'd like to be able to at least give it a whirl.  
(Version 1.0.2)

MAX SEELEMANN  We'll add resorting of tabs. Not in version 1.0.2 but maybe in version 1.0.3. As there are some difficult things to clarify (e.g. change of Tab-Layout in Panther) it's not as easy, as it seems...  
(Version 1.0.1)

ASCII KID  Very, very fine text editor for 80 percent of my text work (mainly product reviews and copywriting).

The only thing that I am missing in Ulysses at the moment is the possibility to re-sort the tabs of single documents within a project, after their initial creation. Maybe this feature will be added soon? Pricing is not exactly "el cheapo", yet early adopters and academic writers are in for a fair rebate. Check it out!  
(Version 1.0.1)

TEXTOR  I've tested the trial for three weeks now, and am definitely more productive as a writer and concept developer with this product! Very rarely a writing tool that I use has had such a positive effect. It offers an uncluttered interface, a smart, project-based approach with multiple documents that are easily viewed via tabs, and notes can easily be attached to your docs while you write to top things off. Simple, convincing concept and well executed.

Not everyone's cup of tea I would assume, but if it matches your working habits and if you're the type to be easily distracted by gadgets and "endless possibilities", Ulysses is worth a try and a thorough test phase. You might be in for a very positive surprise!  
(Version 1.0.1)

NOTORIOUS  A great idea and an excellent layout. But this initial version (1.0) seriously wiped out my system. Crashed it repeatedly. Maybe it doesn't like OS 10.2.6. The price is steep for a program that doesn't permit bold, italics and other simple formatting, or do word counts. The developers say all this is coming. I'd keep an eye on this program. It could be very nice when they get the bugs out, but the developers should seriously rethink their pricing concept.  
(Version 1.0)

FEHNMAN  Just a note: Our prices include tax and a license for two computers including ALL users on these machines.

We're also currently working out educational offers, so if you're a student and like the app but feel like you can't afford: Wait a couple of weeks and go with the 30-day-trial first.  
(Version 1.0)

JESTER  It looks like it is a German developer. It would be logical he would have to charge a pretty penny. Even the use of a public urinal is costly there. He's likely charged insurance for the elevator owned by his landlord too. If he's lucky the air he breathes is freeware.  
(Version 1.0)

MAX SEELEMANN  Thanks for your reviews. Of course you don't haven any problems after a system-reinstall. Because it is registered on your machine, not your system. You just need to de-register, if you change the machine itself. One of our major concepts was to keep the registration as simple as possible. And I think we succeeded doing this - no serial, just your name and a nunber. regards Max.  
(Version 1.0)

GRADUS  Very interesting concept, but I agree with the other reviewers that the price is a bit steep (and this is only the product launch price, it will be more than $100 after 8-31). I rate it's ease of use "worst" not because I think it's unusable in itself (it's not, it looks and feels and behaves very well) but because of their stupid software activation scheme. They force you to activate the program over the internet and deactivate it whenever you have to do a system reinstall. If your system or hard drive crashes you will have to go through many troubles to get this program running again (long-distance calls to Germany, I suppose). I don't think they do themselves a favour with these anti-piracy measures. There are more user-friendly ways to protect your app from crackers. Sorry guys, your software looks great, but your piracy paranoia drives me away. I do not use software that has to check with servers to enable itself. That's one of the reasons why I'm using OS X and not Windows XP.  
(Version 1.0)

ANONYMOUS  best interface I've ever seen. if I had the money I would buy it, but $69, that's too much sorry.

concept is great, finally a program that can do all this!  
(Version 1.0)

MRANDRE  Very interesting program. There have been some other attempts at this sort of application, but none with the interface so thoroughly worked out. The main sticking point for me will be the ~$69 price tag, a bit high for my budget. But if you have the cash, this looks best of breed for the time being.  
(Version 1.0)