Workwriter was a

word processor A word processor (WP) is a device or computer program that provides for input, editing, formatting, and output of text, often with some additional features. Early word processors were stand-alone devices dedicated to the function, but current word ...

software written in C, in 1983 and 1984, by Peter P. Vekinis, similar in features and operation to dedicated word processors marketed by AES Data Inc. The software was sold to TANDY Europe, subsidiary of

Tandy Corporation Tandy Corporation was an American family-owned Retail, retailer based in Fort Worth, Texas that made leather goods, operated the RadioShack chain, and later built personal computers. Tandy Leather was founded in 1919 as a leather supply store ...

(more than 4000 copies were shipped in French, English and German) for the Amstrad CPC 6128 personal computer under the CP/M operating system. Britain's PC World magazine published an article on Workwriter It was in the November 1984 issue. It was also made available for the

IBM PC The IBM Personal Computer (model 5150, commonly known as the IBM PC) is the first microcomputer released in the List of IBM Personal Computer models, IBM PC model line and the basis for the IBM PC compatible ''de facto'' standard. Released on ...

under MS-DOS and PC DOS operating systems and other similar computers. Workwriter had a simple user interface and was a video based word processor, in other words, a user could type text wherever he wanted on the screen. This was unlike other word processors who displayed structured text on a screen (the user could not move his cursor outside the text and type). The ability made Workwriter easy to use since the user was presented with a physical page metaphor. Pages were 80 characters by 99 lines long. Pages were strung together to create chapters and documents. The software offered columns, character based graphics, justifications and multiple character sets. It supported many printers including those with Daisy wheels. The software was further improved with additional features (such as built-in serial communications, pagination and index creation) and was finally sold and became the word processing part of legal software in Belgium. You can download a copy and see how it works here.

References

External links

Vekinis.com/VintageDosSoftware.html

Vekinis.com
{{Word processors Word processors