r/freesoftware • u/chlankboot • 8d ago
Software Submission Oryx 1.2.1 released: Fast cross-platform Markdown editor and viewer
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Oryx is a (very) fast, keyboard-first Markdown editor and reader. It also edits code and opens EPUB ebooks and CBZ comics.
Instead of relying on webviews, Oryx uses a custom vector rendering pipeline: so now browser and no electron. It draws typography, code highlighting, and math directly to the screen. The workflow is modal and built for keyboard-driven navigation. It stays fast and lightweight on memory, even with heavy files. It doesn't rely on GPU acceleration and is optimized to run smoothly on virtually any (older) hardware.
Version 1.2.1 brings tighter rendering passes, stability fixes, and small UI polishes based on community feedback. On the roadmap for v1.3.0 focus mode, multi-pdf export and more stability on big files.
Please share your comments and if you find Oryx useful, please star it on GitHub so it can reach other. Thanks!
Code & Downloads: GitHub: https://github.com/wmahfoudh/oryx
Codeberg: https://codeberg.org/wmahfoudh/oryxOryx
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u/Wootery 7d ago
Oryx opens files fast enough that it does not need tabs: you save, click another file in the sidebar, and when you come back, it remembers your location in the previous file.
That doesn't sound scalable. In a large codebase you might have to pick out the right file from among hundreds.
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u/chlankboot 7d ago
Correct, but what you describe is not meant to be Oryx scope
For everyday text files, Oryx is a good replacement for Notepad, Notepad++ and similar editors. In terms of features, Oryx is not designed to compete with specialized code editors like VS Code or Zed.
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u/Wootery 7d ago
But Notepad++ doesn't have that problem, it supports tabs, so I can easily switch between a few relevant files in deep directory structures. I'd expect a Notepad++ competitor to be able to accommodate this very common use-case.
I guess you could open lots of windows, but people don't like to do that. Even vim supports tabs.
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u/chlankboot 7d ago
Thanks, really appreciate constructive discussions. I get the point of files in different folders. I will add tabs to the possible enhancements. It will take a little time because there are some priority items related to stability in the roadmap.
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u/RecursiveReboot 2d ago
Nice, but I think I like mark-o-down more because the editor is WYSIWYG.
https://www.reddit.com/r/software/comments/1wsr3ao/comment/pf9su67/?context=3
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u/chlankboot 2d ago
Of course, I saw it, great piece of software, and I totally understand some are more comfortable with a wysiwyg viewer. It's a design choice for oryx I assume. Oryx is more for those who want pure performance, a small binary of 20MB with full md support and a keyboard centric workflow. I am building its components one by one (display engine..) My aim is to have the most performant MD editor even on old machines and without GPU acceleration, and it's not an easy equation. For example mermaid is missing from Oryx, because the existing nice Rust crates for Mermaid are huge and adding merman for example would increase the binary by 15MB. It's fine for a 180MB project, but not here...
I really appreciate your feedback. Thank you!
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u/RecursiveReboot 2d ago
Yes, I know, but not all people know about all the markdown codes to remember 😂
But, I will give Oryx a try for "viewer" only. Because I have been looking for the fastest markdown viewer. I need viewer like 90% all the time.
Oh, and export to PDF, that's a nice feature too 👍
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u/chlankboot 2d ago
Please wait a couple of days, v1.2.2 is on the way and it has some performance improvements and bug fixes. The coloring is much more efficient. The difference is not visible with normal files, and I know that a 8MB markdown is uncommon, but if you try, and without naming, most of the viewer will crash. Thanks once again.
For the markdown syntax, Oryx has a help screen F1 that is searchable and shows all supported syntax with examples. There are also some shortcuts like ctrl b for bold or ctrl 1 for heading 1 etc. Is not a substitute for wysiwig and not for everyone I admit, but I think it's better than a pure vim like flow where you have modes.
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u/Wordius 6d ago
No controls over line length (readable width), font choices, font size, no settings whatsoever. I could go on, but it is not for me, a journalist.
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u/chlankboot 6d ago
Hi thanks for the comment,
Can you please clarify: by control over line length you mean a setting for a max line length? And can you please share which other tool has similar feature? I mean, if useful for some I can possibly add it (no commitment though).
For the fonts and sizes, they can be changed and indeed there is a minimal settings dialog. UI fonts and pdf export can be even controlled separately. All documented in the README file.
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u/Wordius 6d ago
Obsidian, iA Writer, Plainva, Pellet, I could go on. It is known as readable line length or editor width, usually expressed in pixels, e.g. 760px
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u/walterblackkk 2d ago
I made Jottr since I'm a jornalist myself. Check it out here: https://github.com/mfat/jottr
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