I have recently been using WriteRoom for some of my writing projects. Suomichris tipped me off to it a while back, and I’m currently still using the 30-day free trial. I’m not sure if I’ll purchase it at the end of the trial or not, but I certainly am loving the distraction-free, simple, adorably retro interface:
I feel like I should be taking breaks to play Oregon Trail.
Check it out here, if you’re interested
Raveling Out 
I heart the shit out of that program. Similar, but with outlining features and etc. is Scrivener (http://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.html). I used it for a project, but it hell of fucked up everything when I exported, but this was probably because I use weird fonts. It’s worth checking out.
Also, you know you can change the colors of the background and text, right? I have mine just look like black on white. I also LOVE the typerwriter scrolling!
It’s kind of adorable! We actually have a terrible DOS program at work that they are finally going to phase out. I was shocked the first time I saw it (last year!)
Just a brief glance tells me it looks like a nice, powerful text editor. I like those. Also looks like it’d be a cinch to couple with LaTeX or similar typesetting system to produce really clean typeset output with minimal distraction and effort.
I do not understand how this presents any advantages over Word or Wordpad, but I am glad you enjoy it!
This is another cool, time-saving, minimalist thingy I found today:
http://gengis.110mb.com/en/index.php
Timothy – for some reason, WordPress keeps spamming your comments. I find the when I am checking my spam comment box. Are you secretly trying to promote P3n!s enlargement meds via your blog? Heh.
Anyway, yeah, I am liking the WriteRoom. For some reason, the full-screen mode and easy editing features make me happier than boring old TextEdit. It must be the green-on-black look. (Though I might change it to amber-on-black for kicks.)
Emacs? Anyone? Am I alone in the unix room?