Before you ask, I can’t just justify why anyone would need this app. No “it’s useful for…” reasoning like I do for other software I write about.
Yet, I love the idea behind this — albeit more because there’s an option to hear hear typewriter as you type.
I am showing my age in saying so, but I have strong nostalgic attachment to the sound of typewriters. The thumpity-clack, thumpity-clack, thumpity-clack whirr-ding is the sound of percussive productivity. It sounds like things are happening, y’know?
Not that I ever had a real type writer in my mouth (I’m not that old), but I do enjoy the sound to the point I installed Tom Hanks’ ‘Hanx Writer’ app on iOS to cosplay my inner 1980s journo now and then.
Ahem. Back to this app.
Tickeys for Linux
Tickeys for Linux says it gives you ‘instant audio feedback when typing’. It’s an app that’s available for all major operating systems but we’re (naturally) only referencing the Linux version here
Although the app is likely to get super annoying if you happen to type more than 140 characters it could, perhaps, be a fun way to annoy people (for a short period of time, of course).
Tickeys has a decent set of sound effects including:
- Typewriter
- Mechanical keyboards (including Cherry G80)
- Bubbling
- Drum sounds
- Sword
You can see a clip of the app (running on Mac OS X) below:
Download Tickeys for Linux
You can find Ubuntu installers for the nifty noise generating app on its GitHub project page below, but please note that the product page is in Chinese and so, sadly, is most of the application’s GUI.
Notes
Privacy
It would be remiss of me to not mention the glaringly obvious potential privacy issues that might stem from using an app that works by listening to and reacting to keyboard events…
But as the app is open-source you can review all of its code on GitHub to make sure it’s not logging or transmitting keystrokes somewhere it shouldn’t.
python-pip
This app is available on PyPi, which makes it easier to install. Make sure you have python-pip installed first, and then run:
sudo pip install tickeys
Troubleshooting
If you encounter errors about missing dependencies after installing the app do make sure you have the following installed:
sudo apt-get install python-dev python-pip python-kivy xdotool
Alternatives
If Tickey’s tickles your fancy, I’ll point out that it’s not the only Linux app capable of making typewriter sounds as you type. Qwertickle and Linux Typewriter are two alternative apps, though neither has been updated for quite some time.
Thanks to Hugo V!