Hi, this is Wayne again with a topic “Remember WORDPERFECT? – Where Are They Now”.
Odds are when you sit down at your computer to write yet another exciting TPS report you’re either using Microsoft Office or Google’s G suite, which together own nearly the entire market in the United States. But it wasn’t always this way. So today we’re gon na look at some adulting software from yesteryear in the third installment of our something part series: where are they now? Let’S start with one of the first ever widespread word: processors word star not to be confused by the way. With that hip-hop YouTube channel released in 1978 word star was the first word processor to feature. What you see is what you get text: editing, meaning that what you saw on the screen more or less looked like what you’d get once you printed out your document.
It also featured keyboard shortcuts that we take for granted today, such as control you to underline your highlighted text. These interface improvements, coupled with the fact that it was coded to work across a variety of systems, meant that by the mid-1980s word star had become immensely popular, but as computing power grew, this portability became word Stars downfall. Other word: processors written for the increasingly dominant IBM PC and its compatibles offered PC specific features that word star couldn’t compete with, and the product was in trouble by the late 1980s development ultimately seized in 1999, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t still have its fans, notably George RR martin of game of thrones fame, still uses word star for ms-dos to write his novels. Maybe that’s why it takes them so long to write a damn book.
Moving on one of the programs that displaced word start was WordPerfect, which brought lots of useful features. Such as macros support for a wide variety of printers footnotes and automatic line, numbering which is really important for lawyers and academic writers, in fact, WordPerfect was so feature packed that it needed a 600 page manual and a small army of tech support staff. They even hired what were called hold jockeys to keep their customers entertained, while they were waiting to speak to tech support with a second. Is that still a job? Where do I apply to be a hold jockey? No all right by 1993 WordPerfect controlled over 60 % of the market and was eventually sold to Corel in 1996, who envisioned it as becoming the Pepsi to Microsoft’s.
Coke WordPerfect even became integrated into a full office suite, but unfortunately, when it came time to release WordPerfect on Windows, the transition wasn’t very smooth and Microsoft took full advantage by releasing the familiar MS word, along with the rest of Microsoft Office. Now because Microsoft Office was designed by the same company to be far more stable on Windows, WordPerfect was left to play catch-up, especially since word and MS Office relied more on the mouse, which was easier for mainstream users to use than trying to memorize key combinations. In the following years, WordPerfect lost much of its former popularity, but some law offices and government agencies still do swear by it and it’s actually still available to buy from Corel with the newest version dating back to only last year, but not every Microsoft productivity.
Software was a smash hit that crushed its competitors. If you own a PC any time in the 1990s, you probably found a copy of Microsoft Works pre-installed like other office suites. It had a word processor, a spreadsheet and a database manager and a huge part of its appeal was its low cost. If it wasn’t bundled with your PC, it was easy to get a copy for far cheaper than most other Suites. Now, although it was stripped down and didn’t offer a feature set, nearly as extensive as the full-fat office suites, its ease of use made it popular for home users and, unlike the full-blown version of office, works, was actually just one program. The database manager, spreadsheet and word processor all ran in the same window, meaning that it was much easier for low respect computers to run. However, wild works could open Word documents Works files themselves were stored in a proprietary format, making the program unpopular with larger organizations and wants more robust free alternatives, like G sweeps started hitting the scene. Works was eventually replaced by a starter edition of Microsoft Office in 2010. Finally, we don’t want to forget about our good friends that prefer using a Mac during the 90s, a program called klaris Works became very popular, and if you went to school during the era where Mac’s with their fancy graphical interface, were the most coveted systems in the Computer lab chances are that you remember it well.
Klaris was actually an Apple created software studio that bought a program called GS works from a different company, which became its own office, suite both bundled with Macs and sold on store shelves. Actually, there was even a Windows version designed to compete with Microsoft Works. Klaris Works was very well reviewed and it even added a presentation program in a later version. Something ms works didn’t have the suite also had drawing and painting programs making it a do-it-all program in a way that ms works wasn’t in fact, klaris works. Outsold Microsoft Works for a good chunk of the 90s, but by 2005 klaris works. Having since been renamed Apple works was being displaced by I work a more traditional, fully featured office suite that has been Apple’s main offering ever since Apple stopped selling Apple works in 2007, but you can actually still open old files created using the software in I work.
So guys is there a rather obscure piece of software that you used to bang out your school reports on Lotus? Anyone, let us know down in the comments, but if you’ll excuse me for now, I suddenly have an urge to see if I can get my old typewriter working again. But after I tell you about our sponsor brilliant brilliant provides you with the framework that you need for thinking about and solving problems with, brilliant you get to master concepts by solving fun, challenging problems for yourself rather than watching someone else do it. So they take the concepts, break them up into bite-sized chunks, present clear thinking in each part and then build back up to an interesting conclusion and you’re not on your own you’re. In the company of over five and a half million members who share your curiosity and love for math and science, so you build up a connection with other people, making it more than just a site for content consumption. It’S a place to get inspired so head to brilliant org, forward, slash tech quickie and get 20 % off at link in the video description. So thanks for watching guys like dislike check out our other videos and leave a comment.
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