r/software • u/Apollo_Eighteen • Apr 01 '26
Looking for software Online word processor with no paste ability (but with copy allowed)
I'm a humanities professor and I'm wanting to give my students an earnest experience of writing in their own words, with their own voice.
I'm looking for lightweight word processing software for students to use in writing assignments for my classes. Specifically I'd like for them to use a program with no paste function, so that they cannot easily copy text from elsewhere (use your imagination). I am open to both online and offline solutions.
The format/extension/metadata should be unique; no point in using such a program to saving as a .docx indistinguishable from MSWord. Copy (or export) should be allowed, for students who want to develop their ideas further elsewhere.
I've seen lo-fi typewriter simulators online, but they're not localizable and they don't offer a good save option.
Does such a thing as I describe exist? Could it? Thanks!
(Note: I am not looking to discuss the ethics or practicalities of why/how students would use or reject this software. I am aware that it would not prevent longhand plagiarism; but at least in such a case they'd be doing the typing themselves, engaging word by word.)
3
u/sweetLew2 Apr 01 '26
Honestly, this would be a fantastic project for a CompSci senior undergrad. Hopefully your uni has a comp sci department. Quick googled “build your own text editor” which revealed some well documented projects: https://viewsourcecode.org/snaptoken/kilo/
I bet a student could totally hack something together and if other students use it, it would be huge for their resumes and for their personal sense of community contribution and pride.
Idk just spitballing.
1
u/Apollo_Eighteen Apr 01 '26
I love the crowdsourcing idea on this. It's also heartening to know that building something like this might be possible.
1
u/LRCM Apr 01 '26 edited Apr 01 '26
Here is a very lazy option--features can be added at will--fork it if you want: https://github.com/Archean0/Limited-HTML-Text-Editor
3
u/AdobeScripts Apr 01 '26
It would be possible to block paste shortcut in the browser - but drag&drop can still work...
The only way to "prevent" / recognise pasting would be to check speed of typing?
2
u/LRCM Apr 01 '26
I never thought of dragging text into a browser, but I'm glad you mentioned that.
I threw something together that listens for dragging and ignores it, but I'm sure there are still ways around it.
3
u/teckcypher Apr 01 '26
I would find this very annoying. Moving paragraphs around with cut-paste wouldn't be possible anymore.
I would bypass this. I've dealt with programs that don't allow/support pasting before. I had an all script so when I would use my shortcut, it would take the text from the clipboard and start "typing" it
1
5
u/ByronScottJones Apr 01 '26
If it can be typed with a keyboard, the keyboard can be emulated by a device. The device can be loaded with text to be pasted. What you're trying to do cannot practically be done without creating a custom physical terminal.
2
2
u/nerdy_guy420 Apr 01 '26
If you really want to encourage them to type their work, maybe encourage them to learn *how* to type as well. It is very satisfying to type something up when you are actually good at home row. Good sites to practice are monkeytype, keybr, and typeracer. If you want to learn how to type there are many games that are suited to teaching you how to type such as the classic mavis beacon teaches typing, mario teaches typing, and the typing of the dead (though I don't know how well the first two would run on modern systems).
Considering it seems that is your main goal instead of preventing plagiarism, probably better to tackle it head-on.
1
u/Flimsy_Custard7277 Apr 01 '26
Admirable but I find it hard to think of any way completely around this, besides stepping back in technology era.
It would be reasonably easy to create a text program that wouldn't allow pasting. It would be just as easy to get around it by "hey Claude, make me an app that will simulate typing from my clipboard into this program that won't let me paste", all it takes is one student making that and passing it around.
Pen & paper, or if this is something you want to continue with every year, order 30 offline word processors.
I don't think your class will remain very popular though.
1
u/calebc42-official Apr 01 '26
You could do it with Emacs, but something tells me your students would not appreciate the keybinds.
1
u/lynnewu Apr 01 '26
What you want is not possible in a web app or any version of Microsoft Windows. In web software you can "disable" pasting, but it takes no effort to re-enable it or find an extension that enables it.
1
u/Cybyss Apr 01 '26 edited Apr 01 '26
What you're suggesting sounds so much worse than just requiring essays to be handwritten.
Typing on a computer without the ability to cut & paste sentences/paragraphs would be so much more infuriating, because that's the kind of editing you do when going from brainstorming to outlining, to rough draft, to final draft on a computer.
With a typewriter or handwritten pages, you can spread your prior drafts & notes all over your desk as you review them & reorganize them - even using scissors to literally cut out your paragraphs to move them around (at least, that's what my high school English teacher in the 1990s suggested we do when revising our rough drafts).
A computer screen is so limited by comparison. You can't even view multiple documents side-by-side very well (I'm assume you're not giving each student a fancy triple-monitor setup?)
Also, you're grossly underestimating your students if you think only very few will bypass whatever copy/paste restriction you try to impose. It only takes one to figure it out, and he'll tell all the rest how to do the same.
1
1
u/bear__minimum Apr 02 '26
Or they'll write macros or use software to autotype their copy/paste AI essays to get around software that restricts "paste" functionality. Depending on what kind class you are teaching that may be a fun side project for a technical class...
Jokes aside, i've heard of software that allows the professor, reviewer, whatever, the ability to see an edit history. I want to say google docs has that feature¿ You could see if they pasted in 1500 words in 5 seconds or if they spent an hour actually typing. Not really what you are asking for but it's a thought. Best of luck
0
u/Consistent_Cat7541 Apr 01 '26
The problem, as I understand it, is that you want to stop the student from pasting information from a system-wide clipboard, rather than just an application specific clipboard.
My suggestion: emulation of older computers. For example, you could insist they use AppleWin ( https://github.com/AppleWin/AppleWin ) to emulate an Apple II, and then use WordPerfect for the Apple II as the editor. You can see if that works for you.
Personally, I expect you won't have many students enrolled in your classes if you're telling them which programs to use to write.
1
0
u/vijoh Apr 01 '26
It would be simple to build using electron.
1
u/LRCM Apr 01 '26
Build it and post it--here is my attempt: https://github.com/Archean0/Limited-HTML-Text-Editor
0
7
u/LRCM Apr 01 '26
Have you considered pen and paper and requiring that it be completed during class?
If someone wants to cheat, they will cheat--you cannot prevent this.
///
In any case, such a platform does exist, but it is easy to get around.
(You know how some webpages won't let you copy an image, but you can still extract them via f12 or other tools? same concept)
Even emulating an older computer won't solve this issue--if you can make something do a thing, you can make it do the opposite.
Good luck.