A word processor program is a

computer program A computer program is a sequence or set of instructions in a programming language for a computer to execute. Computer programs are one component of software, which also includes documentation and other intangible components. A computer program ...

that provides

word processing A word is a basic element of language that carries an objective or practical meaning, can be used on its own, and is uninterruptible. Despite the fact that language speakers often have an intuitive grasp of what a word is, there is no conse ...

functions. Originally a separate type of application to

desktop publishing 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 ...

, the two program types now overlap, with many word processors now including what were once desktop publishing functions.

History

The first known word processor program was

Electric Pencil Electric Pencil, released in December 1976 by Michael Shrayer, was the first word processor for home computers. History In 1975, Michael Shrayer had moved to California after 20 years as a New York filmmaker. Enjoying assembling electronic kits, ...

, released in 1976, as a tool for programmers to write documentation and manuals for their code. Electric pencil featured basic formatting and navigation, and supported external devices such as cassette recorders and printers. Electric Pencil II was released shortly after, targeting the CP/M operating system. Several other word processing programs were released shortly after, including EasyWriter and

WordStar WordStar is a word processor application for microcomputers. It was published by MicroPro International and originally written for the CP/M-80 operating system, and later written also for MS-DOS and other 16-bit PC OSes. Rob Barnaby was the so ...

was created in four months by Seymour Rubinstein after founding

MicroPro International MicroPro International Corporation was an American software company founded in 1978 in San Rafael, California. They are best known as the publisher of WordStar, a popular early word processor for personal computers. History Founding and early su ...

in 1978. WordStar is commonly attributed as the first

WYSIWYG 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 d ...

(what you see is what you get) editor, as the WordStar editor replicated the printed output. Inspired by the success of WordStar, many competitors began to release their offerings, including

MultiMate MultiMate was a word processor developed by Multimate International for IBM PC MS-DOS computers in the early 1980s. History With 1,000 computers, Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance was one of the first large-volume customers for the IBM PC. It ...

in 1982, and

Microsoft Word Microsoft Word is a word processor, 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 pla ...

in 1983.

List of word processors

Notable programs include: *

(1976) *

(1978) * WordPerfect (1979) * EasyWriter (1979) * IBM DisplayWrite (1981) *

(1982) *

Volkswriter Volkswriter is a word processor for the IBM PC written by Camilo Wilson and distributed by Lifetree Software, Inc. Description Camilo Wilson was an author and computer consultant who in 1981 planned to use the new IBM PC to write a book about the ...

(1982) *

(1983) *

TextMaker TextMaker is a word processor developed by the German company SoftMaker and available as part of the SoftMaker office suite. TextMaker is available for Windows, MacOS, Linux and Android. Some reduced versions of TextMaker are released as free ...

(1987) *

Sprint (word processor) Sprint is a text-based word processor for MS-DOS, first published by Borland in 1987. History Sprint originally appeared as the "FinalWord" application, developed by Jason Linhart, Craig Finseth, Scott Layson Burson, Brian Hess, and Bill Spitz ...

(1987) *

IBM Lotus Word Pro Lotus Word Pro is a word processor produced by IBM's Lotus Software group for use on Microsoft Windows-compatible computers and on IBM OS/2 Warp. Word Pro can be obtained as part of the Lotus SmartSuite office suite. Word Pro was based upon Am ...

(1988) *

InPage InPage is a word processor and page layout software by Concept Software Pvt. Ltd., an Indian information technology company. It is used for languages such as Urdu, Balochi, Persian, Pashto and Arabic under Windows and Apple Mac. It was first dev ...

(1994) *

WordPad WordPad is the basic word processor that has been included with almost all versions of Microsoft Windows from Windows 95 onwards. It is more advanced than Windows Notepad, and simpler than Microsoft Word and Microsoft Works (last updated in 2007 ...

(1995) *

TextEdit TextEdit is an 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 ope ...

(1996) * Ability Write (1996) *

KWord KWord is a deprecated word processor and a desktop publishing application, part of the KOffice suite. It has been obsoleted by Calligra Words of the Calligra Suite. History KWord was created by Reginald Stadlbauer as part of the KOffice projec ...

(1998) *

AbiWord AbiWord () is a free and open-source software word processor. It is 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".Project MascoAbi the An ...

(1998) * Adobe InCopy (1999) *

Atlantis Word Processor Atlantis Word Processor is a stand-alone word processor for Microsoft Windows. It used to be known as "Atlantis Ocean Mind". Features Atlantis offers many features standard in other word processors. But it lacks some important features like co ...

(2000) * Jarte (2001) *

Pages Page most commonly refers to: * Page (paper), one side of a leaf of paper, as in a book Page, PAGE, pages, or paging may also refer to: Roles * Page (assistance occupation), a professional occupation * Page (servant), traditionally a young mal ...

(2005) *

JWPce JWPce is a simple Japanese-language text editor that runs on the Windows 95, ME, 2000, XP, NT, and CE platforms. It is designed for non-native speakers of Japanese who want to produce Japanese-language documents. Distributed under the terms ...

(2005) * Google Docs (2006) * Scrivener (software) (2007) * WordGrinder (2007) * PolyEdit (2010) *

LibreOffice Writer LibreOffice Writer is the free and open-source word processor and desktop publishing component of the LibreOffice software package and is a fork of OpenOffice.org Writer. Writer is a word processor similar to Microsoft Word and Corel's WordPerfe ...

(2011) * Apache OpenOffice Writer (2012) * Calligra Words (2012) A word processing function is an essential part of any

office suite Productivity software (also called personal productivity software or office productivity software) is application software used for producing information (such as documents, presentations, worksheets, databases, charts, graphs, digital painting ...

, and may be provided as a stand-alone program (for example Word in

Microsoft Office Microsoft Office, or simply Office, is the former name of a family of client software, server software, and services developed by Microsoft. It was first announced by Bill Gates on August 1, 1988, at COMDEX in Las Vegas. Initially a marketi ...

) or as a function of a more general program (for example

LibreOffice LibreOffice () is a free and open-source office productivity software suite, a project of The Document Foundation (TDF). It was forked in 2010 from OpenOffice.org, an open-sourced version of the earlier StarOffice. The LibreOffice suite co ...

) or other (for example TextMaker in

SoftMaker SoftMaker Software GmbH is a German software company based in Nuremberg that produces office productivity software and digital fonts. SoftMaker was founded in 1989 by Martin Kotulla. Best known in Germany and the EU, SoftMaker is offering its s ...

). With the emergence of the internet, different cloud-based word processor programs began to emerge, which allow people to work faster and more efficiently.

References

External links

Word processors {{compu-prog-stub

History

List of word processors

See also

References

External links