WordUp (program)

Last updated
WordUp
Original author(s) Shelby Moore, Mike Fulton
Developer(s) Neocept
Initial release1988
Final release
3.0 / 1990
Operating system Atari TOS
Type Word Processor
License Proprietary

WordUp is a word processor for the Atari ST platform released by Neocept in 1988. It was one of the first word processors on the platform to offer a true what you see is what you get (WYSIWYG) display, using GDOS to work with multiple fonts and embedded graphics. Most previous word processors on the platform were either entirely text-based, like Atari's own ST Writer, or did not use GDOS and did not support multiple fonts and effects on-screen.

Contents

Overall, the program was relatively simple, similar to MacWrite. It did offer some more powerful features like the ability to generate a glossary and good control over typography. Reviews were generally positive, especially over its ability to easily perform layout and editing in rich documents, but the lack of a spell checker and the very slow printing was a notable concern in most reviews.

Description

GDOS

The Graphics Environment Manager, or GEM, formed the basis of the Atari ST's graphical user interface (GUI). GEM included a system known as GDOS, short for Graphics Device Operating System, which was designed to virtualize graphics output in the same fashion that CP/Ms BDOS allowed different input/output devices to be virtualized. This meant that graphics generated for one device could be sent to any other GDOS device, for instance, from the screen to a printer. GDOS introduced significant overhead which noticeably effected the speed of all applications on the system, not just those using it. [1]

For performance reasons, few word processors on the ST made use of GDOS and instead called the underlying graphics routines directly. This meant they lacked the features like multiple fonts and WYSIWYG layout that would be seen on the Macintosh even in simple programs like MacWrite. Their GUIs were limited to issuing commands through the menu system and interaction using dialog boxes. Among the most popular word processors on the ST was Atari's own ST Writer, which took this to its extreme and removed any GUI at all, opening in a pure text mode and using control keys for all interaction. In all of these cases, output was performed by sending ASCII and printer control characters, such that output appeared in whatever modes the attached printer supported. [2]

WordUp

WordUp was among the few, and first, (commercial) programs that did make use of GDOS on the ST. [3] This allowed it to make full use of the underlying GEM system, providing multiple fonts in a single document. Three standard GDOS fonts were included in the base package, Dutch and Swiss proportionally spaced fonts, and Courier (sometimes known as Typewriter), a monospaced font. Neocept also offered a companion program, Fontz, to modify these or create new ones. [4] Typography offered fine control like how high superscripts should be and various forms of underlying and similar effects. [5]

The downside to offering these features was that performance was effected. Scrolling was notably slower than on non-GDOS programs, but was considered usable. Printing, which was performed as bitmap output, was significantly slower. They also offered an ASCII-only output for higher performance, which was useful for printing drafts. On a laser printer, output was considered excellent, and the program's manual was produced in this fashion. [5]

The program opened with a single window, but up to four documents could be opened at once. [6] The windows contained a ruler across the top of the document showing margins and tabs. Below the document windows was a separate section showing the function key bindings and additional buttons for setting tabs. These are similar to the buttons seen in 1st Word Plus. [7] It also included the ability to crop and resize images without leaving the program. [6] It supported DEGAS, NEOchrome and GEM IMG files, automatically flowing text around them. [6]

The program did include a mail merge feature, but lacked a spell checker, which was considered a major oversight. [5] Its glossary function was typically used more like a macro, allowing a short bit of text to be expanded out on command. [6] [8] Various layout settings could be saved to master pages, allowing a document to have several sections with different layouts and then easily reproduce those layouts in other areas. [6] [9] Other notable features were the powerful search and replace, which among other things allowed searches on styles, and a variety of easy ways to select sentences and paragraphs. [9]

The program also included a basic set of disk utility functions, including the ability to format a disk, check free space and delete or rename files. [1]

Reception

In the first issue of what was then ST/Amiga Format , Ben Taylor reviewed a wide array of word processors on both the Atari ST and Amiga. WordUp received very high marks for every category, except performance which got 2 out of 5. He also points out that the quality of printing on common 9-pin printers was not very good, stating that "if you use a laser printer, WordUp will produce excellent results... [but] at the moment it's a case of 'nice screen, shame about the print.'" [5]

David Plotkin reviewed a number of word processors in the September 1988 edition of ST-Log . He concludes that "WordUp is not as fast as Word Writer, but the multiple faces/point sizes and ability to import graphics makes it ideal for writing which must include pictures. Be prepared for the very slow output." [10] Plotkin wrote a second review dedicated to WordUp in the March 1989 edition. Its opening statement summarizes his entire review: "WordUp is a powerful word processor for the Atari ST that utilizes GDOS to produce high-quality printed output, as well as multiple sizes and typefaces, both on the screen and in print. It has many features not found in other word processors in its price range, although it does not have all the features of WordPerfect." [1] He notes a few missing features, like table of contents and index generation, and points out "that the scrolling speed is quite slow. It is not so slow that it is unusable, but scrolling over long distances can be cumbersome." [9]

In a November 1990 comparison review, ST Format [lower-alpha 1] referred to WordUp as "the cheapest and oldest of graphic output WPs". They praised its simplicity and the end results when printed on a good printer, either a laser or 24-pin dot matrix printer. They complain about its slow scrolling, which made it hard to use on large documents, but conclude "it's a fine, cheap WP for letters and reports." In spite of this mixed review, it receives a 79% overall rating. [11]

A major review in STart's May 1990 edition covered the release of Version 2.0. It opens by noting WordUp was "the first word processor for the ST to marry text and graphics in a true WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) environment" and then pointing out the improvements for 2.0 that included GEM metafiles (a vector graphics format), outdents, the ability to add accents to characters, and scaling fonts from the smaller set of sizes provided in the GDOS font files. But most importantly, "overall speed has been significantly boosted", support for 24-pin printers was added, and code improvements freed up 40 kB of RAM. [3] He concludes, "Overall, I am pleased with WordUp... and have no hesitation recommending the current version." [8]

Notes

  1. ↑ ST/Amiga Format separated into ST Format and Amiga Format in 1989.

Related Research Articles

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

The Atari ST is a line of personal computers from Atari Corporation and the successor to the Atari 8-bit family. 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 GUI, using a version of Digital Research's GEM from February 1985. The Atari 1040ST, released in 1986 with 1 MB of RAM, was the first home computer with a cost-per-kilobyte of less than US$1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LaTeX</span> Document preparation system

LaTeX is a software system for document preparation. When writing, the writer uses plain text as opposed to the formatted text found in WYSIWYG word processors like Microsoft Word, LibreOffice Writer and Apple Pages. The writer uses markup tagging conventions to define the general structure of a document, to stylise text throughout a document, and to add citations and cross-references. A TeX distribution such as TeX Live or MiKTeX is used to produce an output file suitable for printing or digital distribution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Microsoft Word</span> Word processor developed by Microsoft

Microsoft Word is a word processing software 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 (1990), macOS (2001), Web browsers (2010), iOS (2014) and Android (2015). Using Wine, versions of Microsoft Word before 2013 can be run on Linux.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PostScript</span> File format

PostScript (PS) is a page description language in the electronic publishing and desktop publishing realm. It is a dynamically typed, concatenative programming language. It was created at Adobe Systems by John Warnock, Charles Geschke, Doug Brotz, Ed Taft and Bill Paxton from 1982 to 1984.

In computing, WYSIWYG, an acronym for What You See Is What You Get, is a system in which editing software allows content to be edited in a form that resembles its appearance when printed or displayed as a finished product, such as a printed document, web page, or slide presentation. WYSIWYG implies a user interface that allows the user to view something very similar to the end result while the document is being created. In general, WYSIWYG implies the ability to directly manipulate the layout of a document without having to type or remember names of layout commands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WordPerfect</span> Word processing application

WordPerfect (WP) is a word processing application, now owned by Corel, with a long history on multiple personal computer platforms. At the height of its popularity in the 1980s and early 1990s, it was the dominant player in the word processor market, displacing the prior market leader WordStar.

Desktop publishing (DTP) is the creation of documents using page layout software on a personal ("desktop") computer. It was first used almost exclusively for print publications, but now it also assists in the creation of various forms of online content. Desktop publishing software can generate layouts and produce typographic-quality text and images comparable to traditional typography and printing. Desktop publishing is also the main reference for digital typography. This technology allows individuals, businesses, and other organizations to self-publish a wide variety of content, from menus to magazines to books, without the expense of commercial printing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GEM (desktop environment)</span> Operating environment created by Digital Research, Inc.

GEM is an operating environment released by Digital Research (DRI) in 1985 for use with the DOS operating system on Intel 8088 and Motorola 68000 microprocessors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Typesetting</span> Composition of text by means of arranging physical types or digital equivalents

Typesetting is the composition of text by means of arranging physical type in mechanical systems or glyphs in digital systems representing characters. Stored types are retrieved and ordered according to a language's orthography for visual display. Typesetting requires one or more fonts. One significant effect of typesetting was that authorship of works could be spotted more easily, making it difficult for copiers who have not gained permission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Device independent file format</span> Typesetting file format

The device independent file format (DVI) is the output file format of the TeX typesetting program, designed by David R. Fuchs and implemented by Donald E. Knuth in 1982. Unlike the TeX markup files used to generate them, DVI files are not intended to be human-readable; they consist of binary data describing the visual layout of a document in a manner not reliant on any specific image format, display hardware or printer. DVI files are typically used as input to a second program which translates DVI files to graphical data. For example, most TeX software packages include a program for previewing DVI files on a user's computer display; this program is a driver. Drivers are also used to convert from DVI to popular page description languages and for printing.

Timeworks Publisher was a desktop publishing (DTP) program produced by GST Software in the United Kingdom.

Xara is an international software company founded in 1981, with an HQ in Berlin and development office in Hemel Hempstead, UK. It has developed software for a variety of computer platforms, in chronological order: the Acorn Atom, BBC Micro, Z88, Atari ST, Acorn Archimedes, Microsoft Windows, Linux, and more recently web browser-based services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Page layout</span> Part of graphic design that deals in the arrangement of visual elements on a page

In graphic design, page layout is the arrangement of visual elements on a page. It generally involves organizational principles of composition to achieve specific communication objectives.

<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 family released by Atari as a 16 kB ROM cartridge in 1983. The program was fast and easy to use, while still allowing the creation of fairly complex documents. It was a huge success for the platform, with at least 800,000 examples sold not including international versions and later updates.

ST Writer is a word processor program for the Atari ST series of personal computers. It was introduced by Atari Corporation in 1985 along with the 520ST. It is a port of Atari's AtariWriter Plus from the earlier 8-bit computer series, matching it closely enough to share files across platforms unchanged. Running on the ST allowed it to display a full 80-column layout, create much larger files, and support additional features.

Xetec was founded in 1983 by Jon Flickinger, and was located in Salina, Kansas, United States. Before closing in 1995, the company produced many third-party products for the Commodore 64, Commodore 128, Amiga, Macintosh, Atari ST and PC computers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atari TOS</span> Operating system of the Atari ST range of computers

TOS is the operating system of the Atari ST range of computers. This range includes the 520ST and 1040ST, their STF/M/FM and STE variants and the Mega ST/STE. Later, 32-bit machines were developed using a new version of TOS, called MultiTOS, which allowed multitasking. More recently, users have further developed TOS into FreeMiNT.

Protext is a British word processing program, developed by Arnor Ltd, of Peterborough in the decade following 1985. Originally written for the Amstrad CPC464, it was later sold for the Amstrad PCW series of word processors, for MS-DOS based PCs, the Atari ST, and the Commodore Amiga.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1st Word</span> Word processor for Atari ST computers

1st Word is a word processor program for the Atari ST developed by GST Computer Systems and published in 1985. It was given away with all ST systems from December 1985 for the next two years. Although it was relatively well received, it was a very simple program, lacking most power features and was very slow when working in large documents. In spite of any limitations, it's wide availability made the program's .DOC file format became a de facto standard for the platform and was widely supported by other programs like desktop publishing systems.

<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 family, 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

Citations

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.