A Word Processor

8/8/2019 A Word Processor

1/15

A word processor (more formally known as document preparation system) is a computerapplication used for the production (including composition, editing, formatting, and possiblyprinting) of any sort of printable material.

Word processor may also refer to a type of stand-alone office machine, popular in the 1970s and

1980s, combining the keyboard text-entry and printing functions of an electric typewriterwith adedicated processor (like a computer processor) for the editing of text. Although features anddesign varied between manufacturers and models, with new features added as technologyadvanced, word processors for several years usually featured a monochrome display and theability to save documents on memory cards ordiskettes. Later models introduced innovationssuch as spell-checking programs, increased formatting options, and dot-matrix printing. As themore versatile combination of apersonal computerand separateprinterbecame commonplace,most business-machine companies stopped manufacturing the word processor as a stand-aloneoffice machine. As of 2009 there were only two U.S. companies, Classic and AlphaSmart, whichstill made stand-alone word processors.[1] Many older machines, however, remain in use.

Word processors are descended from early text formattingtools (sometimes called textjustification tools, from their only real capability). Word processing was one of the earliestapplications for thepersonal computerin office productivity.

Although early word processors used tag-based markup for document formatting, most modernword processors take advantage of a graphical user interface providing some form ofWhat YouSee Is What You Get editing. Most are powerful systems consisting of one or more programsthat can produce any arbitrary combination ofimages, graphics and text, the latter handled withtype-setting capability.

Microsoft Word is the most widely used word processing software. Microsoft estimates that over

500,000,000 people use the Microsoft Office suite,

[2]

which includes Word. Many other wordprocessing applications exist, including WordPerfect (which dominated the market from the mid-1980s to early-1990s on computers running Microsoft's MS-DOSoperating system) and opensource applications OpenOffice.org Writer, AbiWord, KWord, and LyX. Web-based wordprocessors, such as Google Docs, are a relatively new category.

Contents

[hide]

y 1 Characteristicsy 2 Document statisticsy 3 Typical usage

o 3.1 Businesso 3.2 Educationo 3.3 Home

y 4 Historyy 5 See alsoy 6 References


2/15

y 7 External links

[edit] Characteristics

Word processingtypically implies the presence of text manipulation functions that extendbeyond a basic ability to enter and change text, such as automatic generation of:

y batch mailings using a form lettertemplate and an address database (also called mailmerging);

y indices of keywords and their page numbers;y tables of contents with section titles and their page numbers;y tables of figures with caption titles and their page numbers;y cross-referencing with section or page numbers;y footnote numbering;y new versions of a document using variables (e.g. model numbers, product names, etc.)

Other word processing functions include "spell checking" (actually checks against wordlists),"grammar checking" (checks for what seem to be simple grammar errors), and a "thesaurus"function (finds words with similar or opposite meanings). Other common features includecollaborative editing, comments and annotations, support for images and diagrams and internalcross-referencing.

Word processors can be distinguished from several other, related forms of software:

Text editors (modern examples of which includeNotepad, BBEdit, Kate, Gedit), were theprecursors of word processors. While offering facilities for composing and editing text, they donot format documents. This can be done by batch document processing systems, starting with TJ-2 and RUNOFF and still available in such systems as LaTeX (as well as programs thatimplement the paged-media extensions to HTML and CSS). Text editors are now used mainly byprogrammers, website designers, computer system administrators, and, in the case ofLaTeX bymathematicians and scientists (for complex formulas and for citations in rare languages). Theyare also useful when fast startup times, small file sizes, editing speed and simplicity of operationare preferred over formatting.

Laterdesktop publishing programs were specifically designed to allow elaborate layout forpublication, but often offered only limited support for editing. Typically, desktop publishingprograms allowed users to import text that was written using a text editor or word processor.

Almost all word processors enable users to employstyles, which are used to automate consistentformatting of text body, titles, subtitles, highlighted text, and so on.

Styles greatly simplify managing the formatting of large documents, since changing a styleautomatically changes all text that the style has been applied to. Even in shorter documents styles


3/15

can save a lot of time while formatting. However, most help files refer to styles as an 'advancedfeature' of the word processor, which often discourages users from using styles regularly.

[edit] Document statistics

Most current word processors can calculate various statistics pertaining to a document. Theseusually include:

y Charactercount, word count, sentence count, line count,paragraph count,page count.y Word, sentence and paragraph length.y Editing time.

Errors are common; for instance, a dash surrounded by spaces like either of these may becounted as a word.

[edit] Typical usageWord processors have a variety of uses and applications within the business world, home, andeducation.

[edit] Business

Within the business world, word processors are extremely useful tools. Typical uses include:

y legal copiesy letters and letterheady memosy reference documents

Businesses tend to have their own format and style for any of these. Thus, versatile wordprocessors with layout editing and similar capabilities find widespread use in most businesses.

[edit] Education

Many schools have begun to teach typing and word processing to their students, starting as earlyas elementary school. Typically these skills are developed throughout secondary school inpreparation for the business world. Undergraduate students typically spend many hours writing

essays. Graduate and doctoral students continue this trend, as well as creating works for researchand publication.

[edit] Home

While many homes have word processors on their computers, word processing in the home tendsto be educational, planning or business related, dealing with assignments or work beingcompleted at home, or occasionally recreational, e.g. writing short stories. Some use word


4/15

processors for letter writing, rsum creation, and card creation. However, many of these homepublishing processes have been taken over by desktop publishing programs specifically orientedtoward home use. which are better suited to these types of documents.

[edit] History

Toshiba JW-10, the first word processor for the Japanese language (1971-1978 IEEE milestones)

Examples of standalone word processor typefaces c. 1980-1981


5/15

Brother WP-1400D editing electronic typewriter (1994)

The term word processingwas invented by IBM in the late 1960s. By 1971 it was recognized bytheNew York Times as a "buzz word".[3] A 1974Times article referred to "the brave new worldof Word Processing or W/P. That's International Business Machines talk... I.B.M. introduced

W/P about five years ago for its Magnetic Tape Selectric Typewriterand other electronic razzle-dazzle."[4]

IBM defined the term in a broad and vague way as "the combination of people, procedures, andequipment which transforms ideas into printed communications," and originally used it toinclude dictating machines and ordinary, manually-operated Selectric typewriters.[5] By the earlyseventies, however, the term was generally understood to mean semiautomated typewritersaffording at least some form of electronic editing and correction, and the ability to produceperfect "originals." Thus, the Times headlined a 1974 Xerox product as a "speedier electronictypewriter", but went on to describe the product, which had no screen[6], as "a word processorrather than strictly a typewriter, in that it stores copy on magnetic tape or magnetic cards for

retyping, corrections, and subsequent printout."

[7]

Electromechanicalpaper-tape-based equipment such as the Friden Flexowriterhad long beenavailable; the Flexowriter allowed for operations such as repetitive typing ofform letters (with apause for the operator to manually type in the variable information)[8], and when equipped withan auxiliary reader, could perform an early version of "mail merge". Circa 1970 it began to befeasible to apply electronic computers to office automation tasks. IBM's Mag Tape SelectricTypewriter (MTST) and later Mag Card Selectric (MCST) were early devices of this kind, whichallowed editing, simple revision, and repetitive typing, with a one-line display for editing singlelines.[9]

The New York Times, reporting on a 1971 business equipment trade show, said

The "buzz word" for this year's show was "word processing," or the use of electronicequipment, such as typewriters; procedures and trained personnel to maximize officeefficiency. At the IBM exhibition a girl [sic] typed on an electronic typewriter. The copywas received on a magnetic tape cassette which accepted corrections, deletions, andadditions and then produced a perfect letter for the boss's signature....[3]

In 1971, a third of all working women in the United States were secretaries, and they could seethat word processing would have an impact on their careers. Some manufacturers, according to aTimes article, urged that "the concept of 'word processing' could be the answer to Women's Libadvocates' prayers. Word processing will replace the 'traditional' secretary and give women newadministrative roles in business and industry."[3]

The 1970s word processing concept did not refer merely to equipment, but, explicitly, to the useof equipment for "breaking down secretarial labor into distinct components, with some staffmembers handling typing exclusively while others supply administrative support. A typicaloperation would leave most executives without private secretaries. Instead one secretary wouldperform various administrative tasks for three or more secretaries."[10] A 1971 article said that


6/15

"Some [secretaries] see W/P as a career ladder into management; others see it as a dead-end intothe automated ghetto; others predict it will lead straight to the picket line." The NationalSecretaries Association, which defined secretaries as people who "can assume responsibilitywithout direct supervision," feared that W/P would transform secretaries into "space-age typingpools." The article considered only the organizational changes resulting from secretaries

operating word processors rather than typewriters; the possibility that word processors mightresult in managers creating documents without the intervention of secretaries was notconsiderednot surprising in an era when few but secretaries possessed keyboarding skills.[4]

In the early 1970s, computer scientist Harold Koplow was hired by Wang Laboratories toprogram calculators. One of his programs permitted a Wang calculator to interface with an IBMSelectric typewriter, which was at the time used to calculate and print the paperwork for autosales.

In 1974, Koplow's interface program was developed into the Wang 1200 Word Processor, anIBM Selectric-based text-storage device. The operator of this machine typed text on a

conventional IBM Selectric; when the Return key was pressed, the line of text was stored on acassette tape. One cassette held roughly 20 pages of text, and could be "played back" (i.e., thetext retrieved) by printing the contents on continuous-form paper in the 1200 typewriter's "print"mode. The stored text could also be edited, using keys on a simple, six-key array. Basic editingfunctions included Insert, Delete, Skip (character, line), and so on.

The labor and cost savings of this device were immediate, and remarkable: pages of text nolonger had to be retyped to correct simple errors, and projects could be worked on, stored, andthen retrieved for use later on. The rudimentary Wang 1200 machine was the precursor of theWang Office Information System (OIS), introduced in 1976, whose CRT-based system was amajor breakthrough in word processing technology. It displayed text on a CRT screen, and

incorporated virtually every fundamental characteristic of word processors as we know themtoday. It was a true office machine, affordable by organizations such as medium-sized law firms,and easily learned and operated by secretarial staff.

The Wang was not the first CRT-based machine nor were all of its innovations unique to Wang.In the early 1970s Linolex, Lexitron and Vydec introduced pioneering word-processing systemswith CRTdisplay editing. A Canadian electronics company, Automatic Electronic Systems, hadintroduced a product with similarities to Wang's product in 1973, but went into bankruptcy ayear later. In 1976, refinanced by the Canada Development Corporation, it returned to operationas AES Data, and went on to successfully market its brand of word processors worldwide untilits demise in the mid-1980s. Its first office product, the AES-90[11], combined for the first time aCRT-screen, a floppy-disk and a microprocessor,[citation needed] that is, the very same winningcombination that would be used by IBM for its PC seven years later.[citation needed] The AES-90software was able to handle French and English typing from the start, displaying and printing thetexts side-by-side, a Canadian government requirement. The first eight units were delivered tothe office of the then Prime Minister, Pierre Elliot Trudeau, in February 1974.[citation needed]Despite these predecessors, Wang's product was a standout, and by 1978 it had sold more ofthese systems than any other vendor.[12]


7/15

The phrase "word processor" rapidly came to refer to CRT-based machines similar to Wang's.Numerous machines of this kind emerged, typically marketed by traditional office-equipmentcompanies such as IBM, Lanier (marketing AES Data machines, re-badged), CPT, and NBI.

[13]All were specialized, dedicated, proprietary systems, with prices in the $10,000 ballpark. Cheapgeneral-purpose computers were still the domain of hobbyists.

Some of the earliest CRT-based machines used cassette tapes for removable-memory storageuntil floppy diskettes became available for this purpose - first the 8-inch floppy, then the 5-1/4-inch (drives by Shugart Associates and diskettes by Dysan).

Printing of documents was initially accomplished using IBM Selectric typewriters modified forASCII-character input. These were later replaced by application-specific daisy wheel printers(Diablo, which became a Xerox company, and Qume -- both now defunct.) For quicker "draft"printing, dot-matrix line printers were optional alternatives with some word processors.

With the rise of personal computers, and in particular the IBM PC and PC compatibles, software-

based word processors running on general-purpose commodity hardware gradually displaceddedicated word processors, and the term came to refer to software rather than hardware. Someprograms were modeled after particular dedicated WP hardware. MultiMate, for example, waswritten for an insurance company that had hundreds of typists using Wang systems, and spreadfrom there to other Wang customers. To adapt to the smaller, more generic PC keyboard,MultiMate used stick-on labels and a large plastic clip-on template to remind users of its dozensof Wang-like functions, using the shift, alt and ctrl keys with the 10 IBM function keys andmany of the alphabet keys.

Other early word-processing software required users to memorize semi-mnemonic keycombinations rather than pressing keys labelled "copy" or "bold." (In fact, many early PCs

lacked cursor keys; WordStarfamously used the E-S-D-X-centered "diamond" for cursornavigation, and modern vi-like editors encourage use ofhjkl for navigation.) However, the pricedifferences between dedicated word processors and general-purpose PCs, and the value added tothe latter by software such as VisiCalc, were so compelling that personal computers and wordprocessing software soon became serious competition for the dedicated machines. Word Perfect,XyWrite, Microsoft Word, Wordstar,pfs:Write and dozens of other word processing softwarebrands competed in the 1980s. Development of higher-resolution monitors allowed them toprovide limited WYSIWYG - What You See Is What You Get, to the extent that typographicalfeatures like bold and italics, indentation, justification and margins were approximated on screen.

The mid-to-late 1980s saw the spread of laser printers, a "typographic" approach to wordprocessing, and of true WYSIWYGbitmap displays with multiple fonts (pioneered by the XeroxAlto computer and Bravo word processing program), PostScript, and graphical user interfaces(anotherXerox PARC innovation, with the Gypsy word processor which was commercialised inthe Xerox Starproduct range). Standalone word processors adapted by getting smaller andreplacing their CRTs with small character-oriented LCD displays. Some models also hadcomputer-like features such as floppy disk drives and the ability to output to an external printer.They also got a name change, now being called "electronic typewriters" and typically occupyinga lower end of the market, selling for under $200 USD.


8/15

MacWrite, Microsoft Word and other word processing programs for the bit-mapped AppleMacintosh screen, introduced in 1984, were probably the first true WYSIWYG word processorsto become known to many people until the introduction of Microsoft Windows. Dedicated wordprocessors eventually became museum pieces.


9/15

Imagine the situation: Youre visiting your parents home for the holidays, a thousand milesfrom your own PC, when inspiration strikes, a brilliant idea for the next plot twist in your novel!Or consider: youre on a business trip and your laptop is stolen and the proposal youreworking on is due tomorrow! Or youre on campus when you remember you have an assignmentdue in two hours and you live an hour away!

Maybe you have a thumb drive you keep your work on; now all you have to do is find a PC thatcan read your files, and hope you remembered to backup the files you need right away. Butadvances in web technology over the last couple years have given us another way to work fromanywhere, no matter what computer we have access to, as long as we have access to the Internet:online word processors.

An online word processor gives you the ability to create, edit, save, and access your documentsfrom anywhere. The best ones also allow you to share documents, track changes and revert toearlier versions, and collaborate with other writers. Best of all, any reasonably up-to-datecomputer can access them, usually without installing anything (some require ActiveX, Flash, or

Java all of which are already present on most computers).

Ive been using several online word processors since Writely (now Google Docs) was launched awhile back, and with recent updates to Google Docs and Zoho, and the launch of a few newones, I decided to check out the field and see what I might have been missing in the online wordprocessing world. I was surprised to find 13 different online word processors (and a 14th, still intesting, that I couldnt get running) available for free (there are some paid ones out there, butgiven the quality of some of the free ones I decided to exclude them from this round-up).

New Kid on the Block: Adobe Buzzword

My favorite, by far, is the newly-launched Buzzword, recently acquired by Adobe. Buzzwordruns in Flash, and I generally hate Flash (in fact, I use the Flashblockextension in FireFox todisable Flash-based content by default). But Buzzword uses Flash incredibly well, providing ausable word processor thats stunningly gorgeous. Look (click any of the screenshots for full-sizeviews):

Buzzword allows for full formatting, headers and footers, page numbering, endnotes, tables andimages, keyboard shortcuts, and commenting all the basic word processing functions mostpeople tend to use. It also offers a running word count, inline spell-checking, and revision history


10/15

great for writers! The menu takes some getting used to; the paragraph, list, image, and tablesettings slide into place when you click their icons on the right side of the toolbar.

I do have a few very minor complaints. The first is that the fonts available are Adobes own,beautifully designed but proprietary, typefaces. Which means that chances are theyll be replaced

with your systems defaults (Times New Roman and Arial for Windows users) when youdownload a document and open it in Word or another word processor. Also, Buzzword doesntgive you the ability to export as pdf strange, considering its Adobe. And finally, Adobedoesnt say how much storage theyre offering users though given the small size of textdocuments, it doesnt have to be very much to be useful.

Let me tell you how much I like Buzzword: I started writing a bookjust so I could play with itmore.

Let me tell you how much I like Buzzword: I started writing a bookjust so I could play with itmore. Ive written over 13,000 words 39 pages including a nicely formatted title page. Its

simply a joy to work with, especially with the browser set to full-screen.

The Sleeper Candidate: iNetWord

The big surprise doing this research is that my second-favorite online word processor is onewhose name Id never heard: iNetWord. In fact, if Buzzword hadnt just come out, iNetWordwould be at the top of my list. This is a full-featured, complete word processor, with support forbackgrounds, borders, page-numbering, tables, images, the works. It comes with several built-intemplates for both web tasks like page design and blog posting, and business tasks like faxesand letters and is incredibly responsive. Its tabbed interface is a nice touch, allowing you toopen and work on several documents at the same time. And its still in beta!

The Big Three: Google Docs, Zoho Writer, and ThinkFree

Up until now, my go to web-based word processor has been Google Docs. Ive also used ZohoWriter quite a bit; ThinkFree Ive stayed away from, not because it isnt well-done but because ituses Java, and Ive never had much luck with Java-based apps. These three are the big dogs ofonline word processing, and are integrated into online office suites with spreadsheets,


11/15

presentation editors, project managers, contact managers, notebooks, and other goodies thatmake them very compelling.

yGoogle Docs: Formerly Writely, Google Docs was the first online word processor I usedto any significant degree. Like all things Google, its interface is clean maybe tooclean and it generally just works. Basic formatting is easy, storage space is generous(though documents are limited in size), and sharing and version control are easy. Because

the underlying code is plain HTML, though, some things are awkward, like multipleindenting. Still, Ive created dozens of documents on Google Docs, and have no realcomplaints.

yZoho Writer: Even though I use Google Docs much more often, I like Zoho Writer more.(Go figure out people, huh?) Zoho offers a great interface, and almost every feature awriter could ask for page numbering, footnotes, templates, sharing, publishing to web,export as pdf. Theyre also integrating with Box.net, which means Ill be able to open,edit, and save documents from and to my Box.net account, which I like.I use Zoho for bigdocuments, and Google Docs for quickies but I have a lot more of the latter than theformer.

yThinkFree: Java-based ThinkFree is a great editor once it starts running. The quickedit function, with a limited toolset, is pretty snappy; the power edit function (pictured


12/15

above) can take a minute or longer to load. Once loaded, though, its essentially Word2003 , with autocorrect, tables, styles, word count, insert fields, export to pdf everything but, as far as I can tell, headers and footers. It picks up the fonts from the PCits running on, which means you get a nice selection; unfortunately text looks prettycrummy, I assume because its running in Java.

All the Rest

Here are the rest of the online word processors Ive tried out, in alphabetical order. Some ofthese are quite good, some have highly specialized uses, and some are not quite ready for full-time use. Taken together, though, they show the incredible possibility of online applications, andhopefully provide each other with some healthy competition and incentive to realize thatpossibility. Maybe next year one of these will have replaced Buzzword as my new online wordprocessor of choice or even as my daily use word processor!

yajaxWrite: With its simple interface and clean workspace, youd think ajaxWrite wouldbe ideal for quick writing without distractions, and Id like to think it is. Unfortunately, Icouldnt get it to save when running it in FireFox. Other people swear by ajax13s apps,

though, so Im assuming its just a conflicting extension or something.

ydocly: As a word processor, docly is passable similar in functionality to KB Docs and

GreenDoc, below. What sets docly apart, though, is its focus on copyright management,with the ability to assign a work a Creative Commons license or a traditional All RightsReserved license. Documents can be shared and published, as in most of the other onlineservices covered here, or they can be offered for sale and accessed through their searchengine.


13/15

ygOffice: Although gOffices main product is a paid suite, and thus excluded from thisround-up, for now at least their iPhone-compatible word processor is available free. Notthe most useful application, as it adds an ad for gOffice when you save, but a unique test-

of-concept, and one I imagine will lead to more useful iPhone applications in the future.

yGreenDoc: Basically an online web-page editor, GreenDoc allows you to start writingand save directly to the web without logging in. Documents stay online for 90 days, oryou can create an account for more permanent storage. The toolset is a standard range offormatting options, good for basic, no-frills editing.

yKB Docs:Another no-frills editor, even more basic than GreenDocs. Distinguished by itseasy sign-up just pick a username and password, hit enter, and youre editing.


14/15

yPeepel: Part of a full-fledged webtop system, Peepels word processor has a pretty goodset of basic options, with some nice templates. The user interface is weird maybequirky is a better word: click on the sites logo to open the menu.

yWriteBoard: Created by the good folks at 37Signals, WriteBoard is a bare-bones, wiki-style editor intended more for collaboration than authoring. Technically I guess this isnta word processor, but its a decent, bare-bones editor especially if youre alreadycomfortable with wiki formatting codes.

yWriter: This one is also not technically a word processor. Writer is a stripped-downwriting environment intended for writers. It offers no formatting, no spell-checking, nofonts nothing but green text on a black screen (recalling those TRS-80 days of yore)and a word count, so you can write write write until you hit your goal.

The Rookie: Ulteo Offers OpenOffice.org Online

The Next Big Thing might well be Ulteo, which promises the entire OpenOffice.org suite online,accessible through any browser. Ive signed up for the beta test, but so far I havent been able totry it out. Being able to access OpenOffice.org anywhere would be a big step and might justpush Microsoft to finally make its Office apps available online. (Or is that not the idea Imsupposed to get out of their Microsoft Live Office products name?) The ultimate dream is to


15/15

be able to do anything online I can do with computer-based software and Ulteo, if it works, is ahuge step in that direction.

Last Words

As a writer, a good, solid word processor is my most important tool; as someone who often findshimself away from home and wanting (or needing) to write, the quality of some of these wordprocessors is greatly appreciated. I was surprised that my two favorites were brand new to me Im looking forward to giving Buzzword and iNetWord a thorough working-out over the nextfew months.

Do you find these applications useful? What online word processor do you use, and why? Have Imissed anything and, especially, have I missed anything that would replace Buzzword as mynew favorite? (Im fickle like that if something else comes along, Ill move on in aheartbeat!)