Super-ultra-bare-bones for writing

I want to build a second machine almost entirely for the purpose of writing. My main computer is fine, but I have crazy ADD and don't get shit done when I try to do any writing on it because there's so much to distract me.

Anyway, my plan is to build something mini-itx and just run some flavor of linux. Any reason this wouldn't be totally OK? I just need something simple and serviceable.

You should go to your local salvation army or good will and see if they have any ancient PCs that you can install linux on
all you really need is a text editor like vi, then you can save it as file.txt and put it on a floppy disk
copy it into word and change the formatting so it doesn't look like shit
also, EEE is perfect for writing; small keyboard though

>>2
Hadn't thought of going that route. I may do that, at least as a test run to see if the second comp thing helps. If it does, I'll still probably go the mini-itx route, as my apartment is TINY and I really don't want to make this any more bulky than necessary.

if you have the money then mini or micro itx seems nice.  expensive for the hardware you actually get.  Why not use a Linux on US stick, with anything fun removed?

>>2
Or he could just use LaTeX. That way he doesn't need any GUI either and it looks much better than anything with Word.

Don't even bother buying a mini-ITX, you pay more to have things shrunk down (just like with laptops). Find a "pizza-box," former business machine, maybe an IBM Netvista, at a thrift store or other junk shop. Small footprint, low spec. Load it up with Damn Small Linux off a CD -- can also be installed to the HD if you so prefer -- and do your writing in Beaver.

If you really wanna be hardcore and make sure you can do very little, run an MS-DOS boot disk that has EDIT on it and do all your text-editing within that. Bam, straight from the old school.

>>6
an MS-DOS boot disk that has EDIT on it
Context was/is very much superior.

>>6
I agree with that post.