In reply to Otto.

@Otto

Here is a distraction free word processor app for chrome with 17,500 active users and 105 reviews. It's only one of many such systems available.

The difference in viewpoint between you and me is that, while I am not personally distracted by interface elements, I also don't assume that everyone has the same experience that I do.

Distraction in life comes from external factors. Having your phone turned on, the noise from the parking lot next door, your neighbor shouting at the TV.

As a point of fact, none of the things you mentioned are a source of distraction. The human brain is the source of distraction. We often place the blame on the things that our brain chooses to defer attention to, but it is the internal wiring of our unique brains that decide what things draw our attention away from difficult, focus-oriented tasks.

I personally wouldn't want to use an editor that showed an engaging novel or a chat window connected to my friends in the sidebar, even if that content was purely my choice to interact with or not. Those aren't active distractions, but they are passive distractions.

Similarly, If I was a long-form author, or if I was aware that I often waste time by prioritizing fiddly formatting over writing, I might prefer an interface that focuses on my primary goal, and which deaccentuates or hides the elements that become distracting to my goal.

You may not experience this pain point. I don't either, personally. But I can certainly understand how others do, and the popularity of distraction free writing tools is proof that there are plenty of people like that.

It makes much more sense to attempt to empathize with other viewpoints and understand their needs, rather than making sweeping generalizations about human experience that declare their needs "extremely stupid [...], seriously misguided and frankly insane".

On a more personal note, you're an employee of Automattic in a communications role and as such, your posts are generally seen as an extension of the views of Automattic. When you dismiss other people's experiences and opinions in such absolute terms (which I've experienced from you on several platforms), you end up furthering the narrative that has been building of late, that paints Automattic, as a whole, as some sort of unmovable dictatorship, where only certain viewpoints are considered.

It's just further contributing to the communications issues that Automattic has been attempting to address.