Comparison of early word processors

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This article compares early word processing software.

Operating system compatibility

This table gives a comparison of what operating systems are compatible with each word processor in 1985.

Operating system collection of software that manages computer hardware resources

An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware and software resources and provides common services for computer programs.

Word processor Apple Atari CP/M CPT Commodore 64 HP IBM PC Kaypro Macintosh Morrow IBM PCjr Rainbow 100 TI Professional Tandy ZX Spectrum
Tasword NoNoNoNoYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoYes
Homeword II, IIc,IIe800NoNoYesNoYesNoNoNoYesNoNoNoNo
MacWrite NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNoNoNoNo
Pfs:Write II, IIc,IIeNoNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNoYesNoNoNoNo
AtariWriter No800XL, 1200NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
OMNIWRITER NoNoNoNoYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
Word Juggler II,IIe,IIINoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
PC-Write NoNoNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNoYesNoNoNoNo
Wordvision NoNoNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
Volkswriter deluxe NoNoNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNoYesNoYesNoNo
Perfect Writer NoNoYesNoNoNoYesYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
Plu Perfect NoNoNoNoNoNoNo2,4,10NoYesNoNoNoNoNo
Wordstar II,IIeNoYesNoNo110,150YesYesNoYesYesYesYes TRS-80 No
Newword IIe NoYesNoNoNoYesYesNoYesNoNoNoNoNo
Appleworks II, IIeNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
AppleWriter II, IIe, IIINoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
III E-Z Pieces IIINoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
Symphony NoNoNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
Framework NoNoNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
XY Write II+ NoNoNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
WordPerfect NoNoNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNoNoYesYes Tandy 2000 No
Microsoft Word NoNoNoNoNoNoYesNoYesNoNoYesYesTandy 2000No
CPT Word Processors NoNoYesYesNoNoYesNoNoNoYesNoNoNoNo

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AbiWord free software word processor

AbiWord is a free and open-source software word processor. It was originally written in C++ and since version 3 it is based on GTK+ 3. The name "AbiWord" is derived from the root of the Spanish word "abierto", meaning "open".

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Microsoft Word Word processor developed by Microsoft

Microsoft Word is a word processor developed by Microsoft. It was first released on October 25, 1983 under the name Multi-Tool Word for Xenix systems. Subsequent versions were later written for several other platforms including IBM PCs running DOS (1983), Apple Macintosh running the Classic Mac OS (1985), AT&T Unix PC (1985), Atari ST (1988), OS/2 (1989), Microsoft Windows (1989), SCO Unix (1994), and macOS.

WordStar Word processor application

WordStar is a word processor application that had a dominant market share during the early- to mid-1980s. It was published by MicroPro International, and written for the CP/M operating system but later ported to MS-DOS. Although Seymour I. Rubinstein was the principal owner of the company, Rob Barnaby was the sole author of the early versions of the program. Starting with WordStar 4.0, the program was built on new code written principally by Peter Mierau.

Desktop publishing creation of documents using page layout skills on a personal computer

Desktop publishing (DTP) is the creation of documents using page layout skills on a personal ("desktop") computer primarily for print. Desktop publishing software can generate layouts and produce typographic quality text and images comparable to traditional typography and printing. This technology allows individuals, businesses, and other organizations to self-publish a wide range of printed matter. Desktop publishing is also the main reference for digital typography. When used skillfully, desktop publishing allows the user to produce a wide variety of materials, from menus to magazines and books, without the expense of commercial printing.

TextEdit text editor

TextEdit is a simple, open-source word processor and text editor, first featured in NeXT's NeXTSTEP and OpenStep. It is now distributed with macOS since Apple Inc.'s acquisition of NeXT, and available as a GNUstep application for other Unix-like operating systems such as Linux. It is powered by Apple Advanced Typography and has many advanced typographic features.

A computing platform or digital platform is the environment in which a piece of software is executed. It may be the hardware or the operating system (OS), even a web browser and associated application programming interfaces, or other underlying software, as long as the program code is executed with it. Computing platforms have different abstraction levels, including a computer architecture, an OS, or runtime libraries. A computing platform is the stage on which computer programs can run.

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Application software computer software designed to perform a group of coordinated functions, tasks, or activities for the benefit of the user

Application software is software designed to perform a group of coordinated functions, tasks, or activities for the benefit of the user. Examples of an application include a word processor, a spreadsheet, an accounting application, a web browser, an email client,a media player, a file viewer, an aeronautical flight simulator, a console game or a photo editor. The collective noun application software refers to all applications collectively. This contrasts with system software, which is mainly involved with running the computer.

Daemon (computing) computer program that runs as a background process

In multitasking computer operating systems, a daemon is a computer program that runs as a background process, rather than being under the direct control of an interactive user. Traditionally, the process names of a daemon end with the letter d, for clarification that the process is in fact a daemon, and for differentiation between a daemon and a normal computer program. For example, syslogd is the daemon that implements the system logging facility, and sshd is a daemon that serves incoming SSH connections.

The Open Document Architecture (ODA) and interchange format is a free and open international standard document file format maintained by the ITU-T to replace all proprietary document file formats. ODA is detailed in the standards documents CCITT T.411-T.424, which is equivalent to ISO 8613.

Grammar checker computer program that verifies written text for grammatical correctness

A grammar checker, in computing terms, is a program, or part of a program, that attempts to verify written text for grammatical correctness. Grammar checkers are most often implemented as a feature of a larger program, such as a word processor, but are also available as a stand-alone application that can be activated from within programs that work with editable text.

Atlantis Word Processor is a stand-alone word processor for Microsoft Windows. It used to be known as "Atlantis Ocean Mind".

Screenwriting software are word processors specialized to the task of writing screenplays.

Microsoft Word Viewer freeware program

Microsoft Word Viewer is a discontinued freeware program for Microsoft Windows that can display and print Microsoft Word documents. Word Viewer allows text from a Word document to be copied into clipboard and pasted into a word processor. The last version made was compatible with Word 2007.

Template may refer to:

Productivity software is application software used for producing information. Its names arose from the fact that it increases productivity, especially of individual office workers, from typists to knowledge workers, although its scope is now wider than that. Office suites, which brought word processing, spreadsheet, and relational database programs to the desktop in the 1980s, are the core example of productivity software. They revolutionized the office with the magnitude of the productivity increase they brought as compared with the pre-1980s office environments of typewriters, paper filing, and handwritten lists and ledgers. Some 78% of "middle-skill" occupations now require the use of productivity software. In the 2010s, productivity software has become even more consumerized than it already was, as computing becomes ever more integrated into daily personal life.

Word processor computer program used for writing and editing documents

A word processor (WP) is a computer program or device that provides for input, editing, formatting and output of text, often plus other features.

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