PaperClip

Last updated
PaperClip
Original author(s) Commodore 64
Steve Douglas
Atari 8-bit
Steve Ahlstrom
Dan Moore
Developer(s) Batteries Included
Initial release1982;42 years ago (1982) [1]
Platform Commodore 64 / 128, Atari 8-bit

PaperClip is a word processor for the Commodore 64, 128 (native mode), and Atari 8-bit computers published by Batteries Included in 1985. In the UK it was published by Ariolasoft.

Contents

Both the Atari and Commodore versions share the PaperClip name, but have significant differences. [2] The Commodore 64 version of PaperClip was written by Steve Douglas [3] and was rewritten for the Atari personal computer by Steve Ahlstrom and Dan Moore. The Atari version is based upon the editor in the Action! programming language by Clinton Parker.

PaperClip is also the name given to the text editor ROM portion of the Commodore PET Execudesk office suite. The ROM was written by Steve Douglas as well.

Features

PaperClip does not use word wrap to display text on the screen, which Ahoy! 's reviewer wrote was satisfactory for Commodore 64 users with 40-column displays but drew the ire of the reviewer for Whole Earth Software Catalog while highlighting OMNIWRITER's support for same. [4] The Commodore 64 version provides an 80-column preview mode with text that was legible on a computer monitor, and supported a wide variety of Commodore and non-Commodore printers.

The software was supplied with a dongle, a hardware key used for copy protection that plugged into the DE-9 joystick port. [5] A keyless version was also available. An EPROM was also used for copy protection on the Commodore PET. Other programs that used such a method just checked for a couple of specific bytes of data in the EPROM, and this check was easily bypassed by a small change to the code. PaperClip, however, placed all the user messages in the EPROM. Thus no EPROM, and no messages.

One unusual aspect of PaperClip is that the Control key functions more like on a hand-held calculator. You have to press and release the Control key, then press the key for the appropriate function.

Reception

Ahoy! wrote that "PaperClip is one of the most comprehensive word processing programs for the C-64", but noted the $125 list price. [6]

Antic called PaperClip, "by far the best word processor ever available for the Atari." [2] In the December 1986 shopper's guide, a staffer wrote, "We write and edit every word at Antic with PaperClip before transmitting the copy to our typesetter via modem." [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atari ST</span> Line of home computers from Atari Corporation

Atari ST is a line of personal computers from Atari Corporation and the successor to the company's 8-bit home computers. The initial model, the Atari 520ST, had limited release in April–June 1985, and was widely available in July. It was the first personal computer with a bitmapped color graphical user interface, using a version of Digital Research's GEM interface / operating system from February 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commodore 64</span> 8-bit home computer introduced in 1982

The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International. It has been listed in the Guinness World Records as the highest-selling single computer model of all time, with independent estimates placing the number sold between 12.5 and 17 million units. Volume production started in early 1982, marketing in August for US$595. Preceded by the VIC-20 and Commodore PET, the C64 took its name from its 64 kilobytes(65,536 bytes) of RAM. With support for multicolor sprites and a custom chip for waveform generation, the C64 could create superior visuals and audio compared to systems without such custom hardware.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atari 8-bit computers</span> 1979-1991 home computer series

The Atari 8-bit computers, formally launched as the Atari Home Computer System, are a series of 8-bit home computers introduced by Atari, Inc., in 1979 with the Atari 400 and Atari 800. The architecture is designed around the MOS Technology 6502 CPU and three custom coprocessors which provide support for sprites, smooth multidirectional scrolling, four channels of audio, and other features. The graphics and sound are more advanced than most of its contemporaries, and video games are a key part of the software library. The 1980 first-person space combat simulator Star Raiders is considered the platform's killer app.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commodore 128</span> Home computer released in 1985

The Commodore 128, also known as the C128, C-128, or C= 128, is the last 8-bit home computer that was commercially released by Commodore Business Machines (CBM). Introduced in January 1985 at the CES in Las Vegas, it appeared three years after its predecessor, the Commodore 64, the bestselling computer of the 1980s. Approximately 2.5 million C128s were sold during its four year production run.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commodore Plus/4</span> 1984 home computer by Commodore International

The Commodore Plus/4 is a home computer released by Commodore International in 1984. The "Plus/4" name refers to the four-application ROM-resident office suite ; it was billed as "the productivity computer with software built in".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Type-in program</span> Software whose source code is entered by the user

A type-in program or type-in listing was computer source code printed in a home computer magazine or book. It was meant to be entered via the keyboard by the reader and then saved to cassette tape or floppy disk. The result was a usable game, utility, or application program.

Cut & Paste is a word processor published in 1984 for Apple II series, Atari 8-bit computers, Commodore 64, IBM PC compatibles, and IBM PCjr. It is one of the few productivity releases from game developer and publisher Electronic Arts, along with the contemporaneous Financial Cookbook. In the UK it was distributed by Ariolasoft.

<i>Shamus</i> (video game) 1982 video game

Shamus is a shooter with light action-adventure game elements written by Cathryn Mataga and published by Synapse Software. The original Atari 8-bit computer version was released on disk and tape in 1982. According to Synapse co-founder Ihor Wolosenko, Shamus made the company famous by giving it a reputation for quality. "Funeral March of a Marionette", the theme song from Alfred Hitchcock Presents, plays on the title screen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AtariWriter</span> Word processor program for Atari 8-bit computers.

AtariWriter is a word processor program for the Atari 8-bit computers released by Atari, Inc. as a 16 kB ROM cartridge in 1983. The program was fast and easy to use, while still allowing for the creation of fairly complex documents. It was a success for the platform, with at least 800,000 units initially sold, not including international versions and later updates.

HomePak, published in 1984 by Batteries Included, is an integrated application written for the Atari 8-bit computers and ported to the Commodore 64, Commodore 128, IBM PCjr, and Apple II. It includes a word processor (HomeText), database (HomeFind), and terminal communications program (HomeTerm). HomePak was designed by Russ Wetmore for Star Systems Software, Inc. The Commodore 128 version was ported by Sean M. Puckett and Scott S. Smith.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SpeedScript</span>

SpeedScript is a word processor originally printed as a type-in MLX machine language listing in 1984-85 issues of Compute! and Compute!'s Gazette magazines. Approximately 5 KB in length, it provided many of the same features as commercial word processing packages of the 8-bit era, such as PaperClip and Bank Street Writer. Versions were published for the Apple II, Commodore 64 and 128, Atari 8-bit computers, VIC-20, and MS-DOS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commodore 64 peripherals</span>

The Commodore 64 home computer used various external peripherals. Due to the backwards compatibility of the Commodore 128, most peripherals would also work on that system. There is also some compatibility with the VIC-20 and Commodore PET.

Bank Street Writer is a word processor for the Apple II, Atari 8-bit computers, Commodore 64, MSX, Mac, IBM PC, and IBM PCjr computers. It was designed in 1981 by a team of educators at the Bank Street College of Education in New York City, software developer Franklin E. Smith, and programmers at Intentional Educations in Watertown, Massachusetts. The software was sold in two versions: one for elementary school students published by Scholastic and a general version from Broderbund.

<i>Time Bandit</i> 1983 video game

Time Bandit is a maze shoot 'em up written for the TRS-80 Model I by Bill Dunlevy and Harry Lafnear and published by MichTron in 1983. It was ported to the TRS-80 Color Computer and Dragon 32, but enjoyed its greatest popularity several years later as an early release for the Atari ST. It was also released for the pseudo-PC-compatible Sanyo MBC-55x with 8-color display. Amiga and MS-DOS versions were ported by Timothy Purves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atari 8-bit computer software</span>

Many games, utilities, and educational programs were available for Atari 8-bit computers. Atari, Inc. was primarily the publisher following the launch of the Atari 400/800 in 1979, then increasingly by third parties. Atari also distributed "user written" software through the Atari Program Exchange from 1981 to 1984. After APX folded, many titles were picked up by Antic Software.

Happy drives are series of disk drive enhancements for the Atari 8-bit and Atari ST computer families produced by a small company called Happy Computers. Happy Computers is most noted for the add-in boards for the Atari 810 and Atari 1050 floppy disk drives, which achieved a tremendous speed improvement for reading and writing, and for the ability to backup floppies. Happy's products were among the most popular Atari computer add-ons. They were still in use and active in the aftermarket as of 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Batteries Included (company)</span>

Batteries Included was a computer software and hardware company based in the Toronto area. It developed products for the Apple II, Atari 8-bit computers, Atari ST, Commodore 64, and MS-DOS. The company was best known in the 1980s for its PaperClip word processor, which was available for the Atari 8-bit family and Commodore 64, and the DEGAS bitmap painting program for the Atari ST. Batteries Included was acquired by Electronic Arts in 1987.

The First XLEnt Word Processor is a floppy disk-based word processor for Atari 8-bit computers published by XLEnt Software in 1986. It was written by David Castell who was a student at the time. Though sold by a budget publisher for US$29.95, it was favorably compared with more established competitors.

<i>Threshold</i> (video game) 1981 video game

Threshold is a space-themed fixed shooter written by Warren Schwader and Ken Williams for the Apple II and published by On-Line Systems in 1981. Inspired by Sega's Astro Blaster arcade video game, Threshold introduces many enemy ship types and wave formations as the game progresses. Reviewers found the variety distinguished the game from the many similar shoot 'em ups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atari Word Processor</span> 1981 8-bit word processor program

Atari Word Processor is a word processor program for the Atari 8-bit computers, announced by Atari, Inc. in January 1981 and shipped that summer. The program was powerful for its era, including numerous features like superscripts and two-column layouts. It was also quite complex, with a long list of control keys for basic operations and text-based menus for more complex ones. It left little memory free after loading, so longer documents had to be stored as separate files of about a page each and printing demanded a long re-formatting process as they were stitched together.

References

  1. "The Personal Computer Museum, Brantford, Ontario, CANADA - Recycle, donate, and browse your old computers, electronics, video games, and software". Pcmuseum.ca. Archived from the original on 2016-07-03. Retrieved 2016-07-28.
  2. 1 2 Ciarolo, Michael; Friedland, Nat (May 1985). "Paperclip: State-of-the-art Atari word processing!". Antic. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  3. Ellison, Peter (February–March 1985). "Canada's Atari". ROM. p. 7. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
  4. Brand, Stewart (1984). Whole Earth Software Catalog. Quantum Press/Doubleday. ISBN   9780385191661. Why EASY SCRIPT from Commodore and PAPER CLIP from Batteries Included continue to sell for the Commodore 64 baffles me. They can't even manage to end lines on the screen without breaking words in the middle.
  5. Kevelson, Morton (January 1985). "Paper Clip". Ahoy!. pp. 44–46. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
  6. Nath, Sanjiva K. (September 1984). "In Search Of... A Word Processor". Ahoy!. p. 11. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  7. "Fifth Annual Shopper's Guide". Antic. 5 (8). December 1986.