Subject: What was your first word-processor?
From: [email-masked] (Jorn Barger)
Date: 7 Jun 1997 10:06:15 -0500
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2

For FAQ on word-processors, I'd like to hear your own stories about
all the different wp's you've tried, which of these you stuck with,
what you liked and didn't like, why you switched when you did, etc.

To jog your memories, here's a rough timeline of micro word
processing from 1976 thru 1985 (corrections appreciated), followed by
a partial inventory of wp names for various micro platforms (Apple,
Atari, C64, IBM, etc):

1976: Michael Shrayer's Electric Pencil for Altair (1975)
1978? Word Pro 1.1, a very slow, tape-driven line-editor for CBM Pet
1978: MicroPro introduces WordMaster (CP/M?) by Rob Barnaby
1979: MicroPro's WordStar for CP/M, by Rob Barnaby
1979: Apple Computer releases Paul Lutus's AppleWriter 1.0 for Apple2
1980: Mark of the Unicorn's Mince (PerfectWriter/FinalWord) for IBM,
CP/M
1980?: EasyWriter for Apple?
1981?: EasyWriter by Capt Crunch/ John Draper for IBM
1981?: Applewriter 2
1982: Story Writer for CBM Pet
1982: SSI ships WordPerfect 2.0 for DOS, for US$500 (v2.2 in October)
1982: Wilton Jones begins writing MultiMate
1983: Apple's bundled Lisa wp
1983: VisiCorp's VisiOn, integrated software for PCs, US$1765
1983: Perfect Writer part of integrated sw
1983: Coleco's Adam w/bundled wp?
1983: SSI ships WordPerfect 3.0 for US$500.
1983: SSI ships Personal WordPerfect for US$200
1983: Microsoft ships Word 1.0 for US$375, $475 w/mouse
1984: Apple bundles MacWrite w/Macintosh
1984: Ashton-Tate announces the integrated sw, Framework.
1984: Microsoft releases Microsoft Word 1.1 for DOS.
1984: Microsoft releases Microsoft Word 1.15 for DOS.
1984: SSI ships WordPerfect 4.0 for US$500.
1984: Apple's AppleWorks, integrated sw by Rupert Lissner for Apple2
1985: Microsoft releases Microsoft Word 1.0 for the Macintosh.
1985: SSI ships WordPerfect Jr. for US$200 for the IBM PCjr
1985: Microsoft releases Microsoft Word 2.0 for DOS.
1985: Aldus PageMaker for the Apple Macintosh, for US$495.
1985: SSI ships WordPerfect 4.1 for US$500.
1985: Don P. Bennett, Jr. ports Emacs to IBM PC and clones
1985?: Borland's Sprint (aka Esprit) for IBM PC
1985: SpeedScript freeware wp from Compute! magazine for Apple2,
Atari 8-bit, Vic-20

Apple2 wps: AE Typeset, AppleWriter 1, 2, 2e, BeagleWrite (GS),
Broderbund's Bank Street Writer (2c), Easy Working Writer, Flex Text,
Franklin ACEWriter (II), GeoWrite 2.1, Lane Roathe's Write Away!,
MECC Writer, Multiscribe (GS), Newsroom, Plus works II?, Print Master
(Plus), Print Power, Printing Press Express, Publish It! 4,
ReportWorks, Sensible Speller, Seven Hills' GraphicWriter III (2GS
only), Springboard Publisher, Super MacroWorks?, Teach, Term Paper
Writer, Timeout ReportWrite?, Webster's New World Spellchecker,
Writer's Choice Elite GS

Apple3 wp: III EZ Pieces integrated sw by Rupert Lissner

C64 wps: Advantage's Textmaster, Batteries Included's PaperClip (II,
III, Publisher, Elite?), Broderbund's Bank Street Writer, C64 Power
Pack (incl wp), CBM's Easy Script w/Easy Spell, CBM's The Word
Machine?, Celery Software's Professional Word Processor, Celery
Software's Swift Desktop Publishing, Codewriter's Speedwriter,
Creative Writer, Digital Solutions' Pocket Writer 2, Font Master II,
GEOS wp?, HES's HES Writer 64, Laing Marketinbg's Word Processor 64,
Load N Go's Master Word?, Personal Choice Collection (incl wp),
Prentice Hall's SkiWriter (II), Sierra Online's Homeword, Spinnaker's
Easy Working: The Writer, Springboard's The Newsroom, SuperScript,
The Writestuff, Triomicro's The Printed Word, Value Ware's PowerWord,
Word Writer 3?

CBM Plus/4 wps: Script Plus

CBM 128 wps: Vizawrite 128, Word Writer 128, Spinnaker's Better
Working: WordPro 128

IBM wps: Ami Pro, Claris Works?, Context MBA (integrated), DG
CEOWrite 3.0, DisplayWrite 5, FrameMaker, FrameWork II, IV, HP
AdvanceWrite Plus, IBM Writing Assistant, Interleaf (Publisher),
Legacy 1.x, 2.0?, Letter Perfect, Lotus Freelance?, Lotus Manuscript
2.0, 2.1, MS Windows Write, MS Works, MultiMate (Advantage, II), Nota
Bene, Office Writer, OfficePower, PC Write, Peachtext, PFS: First
Choice, PFS: Write, Professional Write (Plus), Q&A Write, Rapid File
(memos), Samna Word IV (Plus), Total Word, Uniplex?, Volkswriter
(Deluxe), Wang PC v3, WiziWord, WordStar (2000), WordStar for
Windows, WriteNow?, XyWrite III (Plus, IV, for Windows)

TRS-80 Model II wp: Scripsit

CP/M wp: Magic Wand

Atari 8-bit wps: Atari Word Processor, AtariWriter

Atari ST wps: Atari Works, Word Writer, First Word (Plus v3.20),
Papyrus

CBM Amiga wps: TextCraft 1.0 (Plus), FinalWriter (II), Final Copy
(II), WordWorth (2, 3.1, 5), TextEngine 5.01