Canadian science fiction author Robert J. Sawyer continues to use WordStar for DOS 7.0 (the final release) to write his novels. A Song of Ice and Fire author George R. Martin still uses the MS-DOS version of WordStar 4.0. Andy Breckman, the creator of Monk, is a devoted WordStar user.
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![Wordstar For Dos Final Version Wordstar For Dos Final Version](/uploads/1/2/5/0/125050887/238411139.png)
- Running WordStar for DOS Under Windows vDosPlus to the Rescue! I'm a Hugo and Nebula Award-winning science-fiction writer, and I've been using WordStar since 1983, writing all 24 of my novels with it. If you still have questions about getting WordStar to run under Windows after reading the notes below, please email me at [email protected].
- The 3.0 version of WordStar for DOS was released in April 1982. 2 The DOS version was very similar to the original, and although the IBM PC featured arrow keys and separate function keys, the traditional 'WordStar diamond' and other Ctrl-key functions were retained, leading to rapid adoption by former CP/M users.
- WordStar: A writer’s word processor. As recently as 2014, George R. Martin, of A Song of Ice and Fire fame, used a DOS-based version of WordStar, and probably still does today.
- The 3.0 version of WordStar for DOS was released in April 1982. 3 The DOS version was very similar to the original, and although the IBM PC featured arrow keys and separate function keys, the traditional 'WordStar diamond' and other Ctrl-key functions were retained, leading to rapid adoption by former CP/M users. WordStar's ability to use a 'non-document' mode to create text files without formatting made it popular among programmers for writing code.
WordStar is a word processor application, published byMicroPro International,originally written for the CP/M operatingsystem but later ported to DOS,that enjoyed a dominant market share during the early to mid-1980s.Although Seymour I. Rubinstein was theprincipal owner of the company, Rob Barnaby was the sole author ofthe early versions of the program; starting with WordStar 4.0, theprogram was built on new code written principally by PeterMierau.
WordStar was fundamentally a text-based word processingprogram,[1] meaningthat it worked with files that were essentially text, withtext-like formatting commands (such as the 'dot commands'); thismade the files relatively small. By contrast, most word processorstoday are code-based, and save their documents in much largerfiles.[2]
Contents
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History
WordStar was originally developed for CP/M in 1978. [3]It was the most feature-rich and easy-to-use word processoravailable for this operating system, and became a de factostandard. In 1981 WordStar version 2.26 was bundled with the Osborne 1 portablecomputer. Notably, WordStar was the last commercial word processorsupporting the CP/M operating system. Release 4, the final CP/Mcompatible version, was sold with 5¼' floppy disk as a default, andan 8' version as an option.
Wordstar For Dos Final Version 2
WordStar 4 for CP/M, released 1987
The 3.0 version of WordStar for DOS was released in April 1982.[3]The DOS version was very similar to the original, and although theIBM PC featured arrow keys and separate function keys, thetraditional 'WordStar diamond' and other Ctrl-key functions wereretained, leading to rapid adoption by former CP/M users.WordStar's ability to use a 'non-document' mode to create textfiles without formatting made it popular among programmers forwriting code.
The first DOS version was a direct port of the CP/M version, andtherefore only used 64k of RAM even though DOS supported up to 640k. Usersquickly learned they could make this version of WordStar rundramatically faster by using the ability of DOS to create a 'RAMdisk' in memory, and copy the WordStar program files into it.WordStar would still access the 'disk' repeatedly, but the farfaster access of the RAM drive compared to a floppy disk yielded asubstantial speed improvement. However, edited versions of adocument were 'Saved' only to this RAM disk, and had to be copiedto physical magnetic media before rebooting.
By the mid-1980s WordStar was the most popular DOS wordprocessing software in the world.[4] But IBM dominated the 'dedicated wordprocessor' market with its 'IBM DisplayWrite' application, whichran on machines dedicated to writing and editing documents. Therewere many dedicated word processing machines at the time, but IBM'smain competition was Wang Laboratories. Such machines wereexpensive and were generally accessed through terminals connectedto central mainframe or midrange computers.
When IBM announced it was bringing to market a PC version called'DisplayWriter', MicroPro focused on creating a clone of it whichthey marketed as 'WordStar 2000.' Neither program was as successfulas its developers had hoped, and the lack of attention MicroPro hadpaid to the original WordStar in the meantime, coupled withWordStar 2000's poor support for WordStar formats and keystrokes,had allowed competing products an opportunity to take over marketshare. WordPerfect,in particular, used the same key sequences as the popular Wang lineof dedicated word processor computers, which made it popular withsecretaries switching from those to PCs.
MicroPro International restructured as WordStar Internationaland rehired many of the WordStar programmers who had left thecompany during the WordStar 2000 diversion, and in October 1986acquired the code for NewWord, a WordStar clone with extendedcapabilities, written principally by Peter Mierau at his companyNewStar. WordStar used the NewWord codebase to produce upgradedversions, adding such long-desired features as an unerase anddistinctive on-screen colorization for bold, italics, and otherprint effects. The first version built on the NewWord codebase wasdubbed WordStar (or WordStar Professional 4.0) and it was releasedfor DOS and CP/M operating systems. Later versions — 5.0, 5.5, 6.0,and 7.0 — were only released for DOS; the new releases rebuilt someof the lost market share.
An internal struggle between the 'old timer' developers ofversion 6.5 (aimed at Microsoft Word users), and the 'young Turks'working on version 7.0 (aimed at WordPerfect users), led to theformer product being scrapped and the latter product released yearsahead of its originally scheduled launch date; 7.0 Revision D,released in December 1992, was the final DOS version of theprogram.
WordStarfor Windows
Like many other producers of successful DOS applications,WordStar International delayed before deciding to make a versionfor the commercially successful Windows 3.0.[5] Thecompany purchased Legacy, an existing Windows-based word processor,which was altered and released as WordStar for Windows in 1991. Itwas a well-reviewed product and included many features normallyonly found in more expensive desktop publishing packages.[6]However, its delayed launch meant that Microsoft Word had already firmlyestablished itself as the corporate standard during the twoprevious years.[7]
Abandonment
WordStar is no longer developed, maintained or sold by itsowners; it is effectively abandonware. It is currently the propertyof Riverdeep, Inc., an education and consumersoftware company headquartered in San Francisco, California.
WordStar was actively used by several hundred members of theWordStar Users Group Mailing List. They provided technical supportfor each other via the long-running mailing list which started inMay 1996 and has continued until recent interruption.
Wordstar was the program of choice for conservative intellectualWilliam F. Buckley Jr.[8],who used the software to write a plethora of works including thelast book he authored before his death. This was noted by his son,Christopher Buckley, who wrote of the almost comical loyalty andaffection his father had shown for Wordstar, which he had installedinto every new computer he purchased despite the technicaldifficulty of such an endeavor as the program became increasinglyoutdated and incompatible. He is quoted as having said, in a TimeMagazine article:[8]
“I’m told there are better programs, but I’m also told thereare better alphabets.”
Interface
WordStar is still considered by many to be one of the bestexamples of a 'writing program.' Because it was designed fortext-only display devices with only a single, functional typeface,the primary focus was on the text, without direct onscreen WYSIWYG formatting. Becausetypesetting and layout were secondary or tertiary functions leftfor after the document was written, edited, and proofread, thewriter was not distracted by the many formatting possibilitiespresented by later word processors.
As initially installed, in text-mode versions of WordStar,approximately the top 1/3 of the screen was a menu of commands,with the very top line being a display of the position within thefile and the user's text occupying the lower 2/3 of the screen. Auser-configurable option to set the help level released this spacefor user text. The help system could be configured to display helpa short time after the first key of a command sequence was entered.As users became more familiar with the command sequences, the helpsystem could be set to provide less and less assistance untilfinally all on-screen menus and status information was turnedoff.
The original computer terminals and microcomputersfor which WordStar was developed did not have an array of separatefunction keys or cursor control keys (e.g., arrow keys, PageUp/Down), so WordStar used sequences of alphabetic keys combinedwith the 'Control' key. For touch typists, in addition, reachingthe function and cursor keys generally requires them to take theirfingers off the 'home keys' with consequent loss of typingrhythm.
For example, the 'diamond' of Ctrl-S/E/D/X moved the cursors onecharacter or line to the left, up, right, or down. Ctrl-A/F (to theoutside of the 'diamond') moved the cursor a full word left/right,and Ctrl-R/C (just 'past' the Ctrl keys for up and down) scrolled afull page up/down. Prefacing these keystrokes with Ctrl-Q generallyexpanded their action, moving the cursor to the end/beginning ofthe line, end/beginning of the document, etc. Ctrl-H would backspace and delete. Commandsto enable bold or italics, printing, blocking text to copy ordelete, saving or retrieving files from disk, etc. were typically ashort sequence of keystrokes, such as Ctrl-P-B for bold, orCtrl-K-S to save a file. Formatting codes would appear on screen,such ^B for bold, ^Y for italics, and ^Sfor underscoring.
Although many of these keystroke sequences were far fromself-evident, they tended to lend themselves to mnemonic devices (e.g.,Ctrl-Print-Bold,Ctrl-blocK-Save), and regularusers quickly learned them through muscle memory, enabling them to rapidlynavigate documents by touch, rather than memorizing 'Ctrl-S =cursor left.'
Some users believe that the relocation of the Ctrl key from theposition just to the left of the A key on the PC XT-era keyboard (whereCaps-Lock is found on modern keyboards), to the far lower left,interferes with this tactile approach, unless the keyboard isremapped in software to swap these keys. Other users prefer to havetwo control keys on either side of the space bar, which facilitateseight-finger touch typing. Indeed, WordStar can be regarded as athird keyboard interface:
- the lower-case letters and numbers,
- upper-case letters and symbols accessed by the Caps key,and
- editing and formatting made possible by the Ctrl keys.
WordStar had relative weaknesses, such as an inability toreformat line justification as text was typed or deleted. Thusparagraphs had to be reformatted by command after edits andchanges. But a command could be given to reformat the entiredocument after it had been edited or re-written.
Many of these weaknesses were corrected with a new interface inWordStar 2000. Reformatting of paragraphs became automatic. Most ofthe mnemonics were made simpler so that ^RW would Remove a Word,^RR would Remove the Right side of a line (right of the cursor),^RS would Remove a Sentence, and so on. WordStar 2000 was also rareamong word processing programs in that it permitted the user tomark (highlight) a block of text (with ^BB for Block Begin and ^BEfor Block End) and leave it marked in place, and then go to adifferent section and copy it (with ^BC for Block Copy). Many usersfound it much easier to manipulate blocks with the block commandsrather than the Microsoft Word system of highlighting with a mouse.The main problem with these improvements was that users of legacyWordStar (non-WordStar 2000) were quite happy with that interfaceand did not want to change to a new one.
The WordStar interface left a large legacy. This includes moderncross-platform word processing software like TextMaker and many text editors running under MS-DOS, Linux, and other UNIX variants, which can emulate the WordStarkeyboard commands using Ctrl-key combinations. The popular Turbo Pascal compilerused WordStar keyboard commands in its IDE editor. Modernword processing software like Write&Set not only usethe WordStar interface, but have been based on WordStar DOS fileformats, allowing WordStar users who no longer have a copy of theapplication to easily open and edit their files. There are WordStarkeyboard command emulators and keymappings, both freeware andshareware, for current versions of MicrosoftWord. Popular modern word processing software like WordPerfect, StarOffice and MicrosoftWord (with the proper filters) can open and save to WordStardocuments, enabling users to move back and forth.
WordStar for DOS with main menu in upper part of screen, statusline at top, and user text in bottom ⅔ of screen
Features
MailMerge was an add-on program (becoming integrated fromWordStar 4 onwards) which facilitated the merge printingof bulk mailings, such as business letters to clients. Two fileswere required: a) a DAT file, being a list of recipients stored ina non-document, comma-delimited datafile, typically namedClients.dat. Each subsequent line of text in the filewould be dedicated to a particular client, with name and addressdetails separated on the line dedicated to a client by commas, readleft to right. For example: Mr, Michael, Smith, 7 Oakland Drive,..b) a master document containing the text of the letter, usingstandard paragraphs (aka boilerplate text) as required. These wouldbe mixed and matched as needed, and where appropriate, paragraphscould be inserted through external reference to subordinatedocuments.
The writer would deliberately place ampersand-defined fieldsinto the master document, e.g. &TITLE&, &INITIAL&,&SURNAME&, &ADDRESS1&.. as appropriate, to besubstituted consecutively by the data items read from the DAT filealong the particular client's address line during printing of theirletter. Mass mailings could thereby be prepared with each lettercopy individually addressed.
Other add-on programs included SpellStar, a spell checkerprogram, later incorporated as a direct part of the WordStarprogram; and DataStar, a program whose purpose was specifically toexpedite creating of the data files used for merge printing. Thesewere revolutionary features for personal computer users during theearly-to-mid-1980s. A companion spreadsheet, CalcStar, was alsoproduced using a somewhat WordStar-like interface; collectively,WordStar (word processing), DataStar (database management), andCalcStar (spreadsheet) composed the first-ever office suite ofpersonal computer programs. As a product enhancement, in the late1980s WordStar 5 came bundled with PC-Outline, a popular DOSoutliner then available from Brown BagSoftware, Inc., CA. PC-Outline text had to be exported to aWordStar-format file, as the programs were not developed to beinternally compatible.[9]
WordStar identified files as either 'document' or 'nondocument,'which led to some confusion among users. 'Document' referred toWordStar word processing files containing embedded and hidden wordprocessing and formatting commands. 'Nondocument' files were pureASCII text files containing noembedded formatting commands. Using WordStar in 'Nondocument Mode'was essentially the same as using a traditional text editor, but withmore advanced text editing features than found in somemainframe-based editors. WordStar 5 introduced a document-mode'print preview' feature, allowing the user to inspect a WYSIWYG version of text,complete with inserted graphics, as it would appear on the printedpage.
WordStar 7 under Windows XP
Installation
Installation of early versions of WordStar, especially for CP/M,was very different from the approach of modern programs. Whilelater editions had more-or-less comprehensive installation programsthat allowed selection of printers and terminals from a menu, inthe very early releases, each of the escape sequences required for theterminal and printer had to be identified in the hardwaredocumentation, then hand-entered into reserved locations in theprogram memory image. This was a fairly typical limitation of allCP/M programs of the time, since there was no mechanism to hide thecomplexities of the underlying hardware from the applicationprogram. Occasionally short machine-language programs had to beentered in a patch area in WordStar, to provide particular screeneffects or cope with particular printers. Researching, testing, andproving out such installations was a time-consuming andknowledge-intensive process, making WordStar installation andcustomization a staple discussion of CP/M users' groups during that time.
MS DOS versions of WordStar at least had standardized the screendisplay, but still had to be customized for different printers.
The CD Label Wizard is as easy as choosing the product type, then select which label product you would like. You can create labels for CD's, DVD's, mini CD's/DVD's, Jewel Cases, DVD Storage Cases, business card disc's and iPods. Download memorex expressit. Once you have done this, click on the NEXT button and the Smart Designs Process by selecting FINISH.Memorex has also included a print calibration tool that will assist you in the print positioning of your label.
Running WordStar 3.xtoday
WordStar version 3.x used the MS-DOS File controlblock (FCB) interface, an early data structure for fileinput/output which was based closely on CP/M's file input/outputfunctions. The provision of the FCB interface was intended tosimplify the porting of (assemblylanguage) programs from CP/Mto (the then-new) MS-DOS. WhenMS-DOS adopted the Xenix-likefile interface of file handles, FCBs became a legacyinterface supported for backward compatibility. Because FCBcompatibility has not been maintained, WordStar 3.x will notfunction properly on modern versions of Windows. In particular,WordStar 3.x can't save files. One work-around is to use the DOSEMU emulator on Linux, whichcorrectly implements the FCB interface. (The DOSBox emulator does not, even on Linux.) WordStar 4.0 does not havethis problem because it uses the newer MS-DOS interface forinput/output. (OS/2 can run WordStar in a DOS session.)
WordStaremulation
Although no current version of WordStar is available for modernoperating systems, some former WordStar users still preferWordStar's interface, especially the cursor diamond commandsdescribed earlier in this article. These users claim less handmovement is necessary to issue commands, and hence that writingunder this interface is more efficient. The user accesses thenearby Ctrl key and then a letter or combination of letters, thuskeeping his hands on or close to the typing home row instead ofmoving them away from it to reach for a specialty key or amouse.
To accommodate these users, WordStar emulation programs werecreated. One such program is CtrlPlus by Yoji Hagiya, which remaps thestandard PC keyboard, making many WordStar commands available inmost Windows programs. CtrlPlus switches the Control and Caps Lockkeys so that the Ctrl key is back where it originally was on olderkeyboards, next to the A key. It also gives functionality to thechief cursor diamond commands mentioned in this article.
The other WordStar emulation utility created was the WordStar Command Emulator forMicrosoft Word, also known as 'WordStar for Word,' by MikePetrie. Designed to work in conjunction with CtrlPlus, the CommandEmulator adds many more WordStar commands to MS Word than CtrlPlusby itself, and also changes Word's menus to be more like those ofWordStar 7.0 for DOS, the last MS DOS version of WordStar. Forexample, Ctrl+K? was WordStar's word count command and Ctrl+QL wasits spell check command. Hitting these commands in the WordStarEmulator within Word runs Word's equivalent commands. WordStar forWord also adds WordStar's block commands, namely Ctrl+KB to markthe beginning of a block, Ctrl+KK to mark the end, and Ctrl+KV tomove it. Alternatively, Ctrl+KC could be used to copy theblock.
The WordStar Command Emulator is written in Microsoft Visual Basic forApplications, a macroprogramming language based on Visual Basic built into Microsoft Word toallow for a high level of customization. Most Word plug-ins arewritten in this language also known as VBA.
The Joe editor for Linux is a very WordStar-like alternative. Wheninvoked as
jstar
Joe emulates many WordStar keybindings.Filenameextensions
- DOS WordStar files by default have no extension; some usersadopted their own conventions, such as the letters WS followed bythe version number (for example, WS3), or just plain WS. Backupfiles were automatically saved as BAKs.
- WordStar for Windows files use the extension WSD
- WordStar for Windows templates use the extensionWST
- WordStar for Windows macros use the extension WMC
- WordStar for Windows temporary files use theextension !WS
- WordStar 2000 for DOS and UNIX PC don't have a fixedextension but DOC and WS2 were common
Note:
- There is no WordStar 2000 for Windows.
- WordStar for Windows was also released under the name WordStarPersonal Writer, and is a development of WordStar Legacy itselfdeveloped from a program called Legacy. XOOM also released a versionof WordStar for Windows 2.0 called Xoom Word Pro.
See also
References
![Wordstar For Dos Final Version Wordstar For Dos Final Version](/uploads/1/2/5/0/125050887/347029036.jpg)
- ^Lisa Kleinholz, 'Making mail manageable andmore: WordStar'. Home Office Computing, Oct.1992.
- ^See, e.g., Allin Cottrell, 'Word Processors: Stupid andInefficient'; accessed 2009.06.10.
- ^ abhttp://www.wordstar.org/wordstar/history/history.htm
- ^Will WordPerfect for Windows steal the crown? Computer Shopper,February 1, 1992, Daniel J. Rosenbaum Copy from HighBeamResearch
- ^Beleaguered WordStar poised to rebound if management can spark userdemand, Software Industry Report, November 4, 1991 Copy from HighBeamResearch
- ^WordStar for Windows is a good deal, Computer Shopper, January 1,1992, Steve Gilliland Copy from HighBeamResearch
- ^Is the boom (almost) over? (indications that the market forWindows-based applications is slowing down), Soft-Letter, October20, 1992 Copy from highbeamResearch
- ^ abWilliam F Buckley and WordStar
- ^http://www.atarimagazines.com/compute/issue124/P198_1_REVIEWS_WORDSTAR_6.0.php
Externallinks
- WordStar Resource Site — featuring a full (asfar as is known) history of WordStar
- Microsoft Help &Support — Microsoft's Office File Converter Pack installsadditional text converters and graphics (image) filters. You caninport/export Wordstar files after installing it.