Software:Word processor program

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Short description: Computer program that provides word processing functions

A word processor program is a computer program that provides word processing functions. Originally a separate type of application to desktop publishing, the two program types now overlap, with many word processors now including what were once desktop publishing functions.

History

The first known electronic word processor program was Electric Pencil, released in 1976, as a tool for programmers to write documentation and manuals for their code. Electric pencil featured basic formatting and navigation, and supported external devices such as cassette recorders and printers. Electric Pencil II was released shortly after, targeting the CP/M operating system. Several other word processing programs were released shortly after, including EasyWriter and WordStar.[1]

A screenshot of WordStar 3.0 in use

WordStar was created in four months by Seymour Rubinstein after founding MicroPro International in 1978. WordStar is commonly attributed as the first WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editor, as the WordStar editor replicated the printed output. Inspired by the success of WordStar, many competitors began to release their offerings, including WordPerfect in 1979, MultiMate in 1982, and Microsoft Word in 1983.[1][2]

List of word processors

Notable programs include:

List of word processors
Word processor Year
Electric Pencil 1976
WordStar 1978
WordPerfect 1979
EasyWriter 1979
IBM DisplayWrite 1981
MultiMate 1982
Volkswriter 1982
Microsoft Word 1983
MacWrite 1984
StarWriter 1985
Lotus Manuscript 1986
TextMaker 1987
Sprint 1987
IBM Lotus Word Pro 1988
Nisus Writer 1989
InPage 1994
WordPad 1995
TextEdit 1996
Ability Write 1996
KWord 1998
AbiWord 1998
Adobe InCopy 1999
Atlantis Word Processor 2000
Jarte 2001
OpenOffice.org Writer 2002
Pages 2005
JWPce 2005
Google Docs 2006
Scrivener 2007
WordGrinder 2007
PolyEdit 2010
LibreOffice Writer 2011
Apache OpenOffice Writer 2012
Calligra Words 2012

A word processing function is an essential part of any office suite, and may be provided as a stand-alone program (for example Word in Microsoft Office) or as a function of a more general program (for example LibreOffice Writer in LibreOffice) or other (for example TextMaker in SoftMaker). With the emergence of the internet, different cloud-based word processor programs began to emerge, as Google Docs which allow people to work faster and more efficiently.

See also

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Bergin, Thomas J. (October 2006). "The Origins of Word Processing Software for Personal Computers: 1976-1985". IEEE Annals of the History of Computing 28 (4): 32–47. doi:10.1109/MAHC.2006.76. ISSN 1934-1547. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/4042484. Retrieved 29 June 2022. 
  2. Bergin, Thomas J. (October 2006). "The Proliferation and Consolidation of Word Processing Software: 1985-1995". IEEE Annals of the History of Computing 28 (4): 48–63. doi:10.1109/MAHC.2006.77. ISSN 1934-1547. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/4042485. Retrieved 29 June 2022. 

External links