WordPerfect
WordPerfect is a word processing program; at the height of its popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s, it was the de facto standard word processor, but has since been eclipsed in sales by Microsoft Word. Although the MS-DOS and Windows versions are best known, it has been available for a wide variety of computers and operating systems, including Mac OS, Linux, Apple II, most popular versions of Unix, VMS, Data General, System/370, AmigaOS, and Atari ST.
WordPerfect for DOS
WordPerfect was originally produced by Satellite Software International, Inc. of Orem, Utah, which later renamed itself WordPerfect Corporation. Originally written for Data General minicomputers, in 1982 the developers ported the program to the IBM PC as WordPerfect 2.20, continuing the version numbering of the Data General series. The program's popularity took off with the introduction of WordPerfect 4.2 in 1986, with two features that were especially important to the legal market: automatic paragraph numbering and automatic numbering and placement of footnotes. WordPerfect 4.2 became the first program to overtake the original market leader (WordStar) in a major application category on the DOS platform. In 1989, WordPerfect Corporation released the program's most successful version ever: WordPerfect 5.1 for DOS.
WordPerfect used almost every possible combination of function keys with Ctrl, Alt, and Shift modifiers. This was in contrast to WordStar, which used only Ctrl, in conjuction with traditional typing keys. Many people still know the function key combinations from the DOS version, which were designed for the layout of the original 1981 IBM PC keyboard, with two columns of function keys at the left end of the keyboard. For example, the Tab key and the related F4 (Indent) functions were adjacent. This plethora of keystroke possibilities, combined with the developers' wish to keep the user interface free of "clutter" such as on-screen menus, made it necessary for most users to use a keyboard template showing each function. Infamously, WordPerfect used F3 instead of F1 for Help, F1 instead of Esc for Cancel, and Esc for Repeat (though a configuration option in later verions allowed these functions to be rotated to more standard locations).
WordPerfect Corporation produced a variety of ancillary and spin-off products. WordPerfect Library (introduced in 1986) was a package of utilities that included a customizable memory-resident menu driven DOS shell called Shell, task switching (which allowed several programs to remain open and selectable by a hot-key combination under DOS), an open application interface (API) that other sofware developers could access, an advanced (for its time) macro processor, a Clipboard, a Calculator, a Calendar with a running to-do list and alarms, a flat-file database called Notebook that could be used by itself or in WordPerfect merges, and other features. LetterPerfect was a scaled down version of WordPerfect with the more advanced features removed but with file and (for the most part) keystroke compatibility.
WordPerfect for Windows
WordPerfect was late in coming to market with a Windows version. WordPerfect 5.1 for Windows was released in late 1991, by which time Microsoft Word for Windows was already at version 2. WordPerfect's function-key-centered user interface did not adapt well to the new paradigm of mice and pull-down menus, especially with many of WordPerfect's standard key combinations pre-empted by incompatible keyboard shortcuts that Windows itself used (e.g. Alt-F4 became Exit Program instead of WordPerfect's Block Text). The DOS version's impressive arsenal of finely tuned printer drivers was also rendered obsolete by Windows' use of its own printer device drivers.
WordPerfect became part of an office applications suite when the company entered into a co-licensing agreement with Borland Software Corporation in 1993. The offerings were marketed as Borland Office, containing Windows versions of WordPerfect, Quattro Pro, Borland Paradox, and a LAN-based groupware package called WordPerfect Office (not to be confused with the complete applications suite of the same name later marketed by Corel) based on the WordPerfect Library for DOS. The WordPerfect product line was sold twice, first to Novell in June 1994, who then sold it to Corel in January 1996.
Between the weaknesses of the Windows version, and Microsoft's simultaneous aggressive marketing of Word for Windows as part of the Microsoft Office applications suite, WordPerfect's sales suffered a decline from which they never recovered. Amongst its remaining avid users are many law firms and a few universities, to which Corel now caters as niche markets. In November 2004, Novell filed an antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft for alleged anticompetitive behaviour that Novell claims led to loss of WordPerfect market share [1].
In 1993, WordPerfect Corporation attempted a unique marketing experiment for WordPerfect 6.0 for Windows. A compact disc named Innovators was released containing a demonstration version of WP 6.0 along with eleven music tracks primarily written by Sam Cardon and Kurt Bestor. The two re-released the disc in 2000 without the demo, but with two additional audio tracks.
Comparison to other word processors
WordPerfect aficionados cite many reasons why they consider it superior to its competitors (especially Word), including:
- the Reveal Codes function, which allows the user to view and edit all formatting codes, and thus obtain complete control over the text.;
- more stable handling of long, heavily formatted documents than Word;
- the ability to create documents without having to use styles, even for heavily formatted text (although styles can still be used if desired);
- easier and more reliable editing of tables, especially when they contain merged cells and the user wants to add or delete cells;
- powerful features for creating tables of authorities in legal documents, and including footnotes in word counts, which appeals to writers and legal professionals;
- greater use of function keys as shortcuts for commonly used features;
- multi-level paragraph numbering which works properly (compared to Word, which for a number of years suffered from a major bug in this area);
- the ability to select different menu versions, keyboard layouts, and keyboard shortcuts;
- a wide variety of import and export filters.
Those preferring the MS Word cite its better integration with other MS Office programs (such as e-mail programs), and WordPerfect's poor implementation of Windows conventions in its early Windows versions. Later versions have provided better compliance with interface conventions, file compatibility, and even Word interface emulation.
Corel added "Classic Mode" in WordPerfect 11. This was an attempt to win back users that had switched to MS Word, because WordPerfect for Windows was so different from the DOS version they knew and loved, and to entice any hold-outs still using it to upgrade. See WordPerfect 12, which was released in 2004, for an extended description of the Classic Mode.
Other features that are still unique to WordPerfect, compared to Word, include a one-click PDF creation feature, which lets users convert their documents to PDF without buying Adobe Acrobat. It also features a built-in dictionary and a thesaurus which suggests new words from a drop-down box while users type. Unlike Word, all editions of WordPerfect since version 6 also use the same file format, making it easy for users to share documents regardless of which version individual users have installed.
WordPerfect for Macintosh
Development of WordPerfect for Macintosh did not run parallel to versions for other operating systems, and used version numbers unconnected to contemporary releases for DOS, Windows, etc. The first release reminded users and reviewers of the DOS version, and was not especially successful in the marketplace. Version 2 was a total re-write, adhering more closely to Apple's UI guidelines. Version 3 took this further, making extensive use of the technologies Apple introduced in Systems 7.0–7.5, while remaining fast and capable of running well on older machines. Corel released version 3.5 in 1996, followed by the improved version 3.5e. It was never updated beyond that, and the product was eventually discontinued. As of 2004, Corel has reiterated that the company has no plans to further develop WordPerfect for Macintosh (such as creating a native OS X version).
For several years, Corel allowed Mac users to download version 3.5e from their website free of charge, and some Mac users still use this version. But because it was written for slow machines, it scrolled uncomfortably fast on modern hardware, prompting an independent developer to write a patch to slow the scroll speed. This "OS 8/9 Updater", as well as the complete program, are free downloads at URLs listed at <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wordperfectmac/>. Like other Mac OS applications of its age, it requires the Classic environment to be installed to run on OS X. An alternative for Mac users wishing to use a more up-to-date version of WordPerfect is to install the Windows version on top of Virtual PC for Mac. There does not appear to be any third-party development of a WordPerfect clone or work-alike for OS X.
WordPerfect for Linux
In the late 1990s, hoping to establish themselves in the nascent commercial Linux market, Corel ported WordPerfect 6.0 to run on Linux systems, and developed their own distribution of the OS. The response from the Linux community was varied. Some Linux promoters appreciated the availability of a well-known, mainstream application for it. Developers of other Linux-compatible word processors questioned the need for another application in the category. Advocates of open-source software scoffed at its proprietary, closed-source nature, and questioned the viability of a commercial application in a market dominated by free software. The performance and stability of WordPerfect 9.0 (not a native Linux application like WP 6-8, but based on the Windows version, using the experimental WINE compatibility library) was highly criticized. WordPerfect failed to gain a large user base, and as part of the company's change of strategic direction following a (non-voting) investment by Microsoft, WordPerfect was discontinued and Corel's Linux distribution was sold to Xandros. In April 2004, the company re-released WordPerfect 8.1 (the last Linux-native version) with some updates, as a "proof of concept" and to test the Linux market.
Versions
Versions for DOS include:
- 1982 WordPerfect 2.2 for DOS
- 1983 WordPerfect 3.0 for DOS
- 1984 WordPerfect 4.0 for DOS
- 1986 WordPerfect 4.2 for DOS
- 1988 WordPerfect 5.0 for DOS
- 1989 WordPerfect 5.1 for DOS
- 1993 WordPerfect 6.0 for DOS
- 1995 WordPerfect 6.1 for DOS
Versions for Apple II include:
Versions for the Apple Macintosh include:
- 1988 WordPerfect 1.0 for Macintosh
- 1990 WordPerfect 2.0 for Macintosh
- 1993 WordPerfect 3.0 for Macintosh
- 1995 WordPerfect 3.5 for Macintosh
- 1997 WordPerfect 3.5e for Macintosh
Versions for the NeXT Computer include:
- 1991 WordPefect 1.0.1 for NeXT Computers
Versions for Microsoft Windows include:
- 1991 WordPerfect 5.1 for Windows
- 1992 WordPerfect 5.2 for Windows
- 1993 WordPerfect 6.0 for Windows
- 1996 WordPerfect 7.0 for Windows
- 1997 WordPerfect 8.0 for Windows
- 1999 WordPerfect 9.0 for Windows (WordPerfect Office 2000)
- 2001 WordPerfect 10.0 for Windows (WordPerfect Office 2002)
- 2003 WordPerfect 11.0 for Windows (WordPerfect Office 2003)
- 2004 WordPerfect 12.0 for Windows (WordPerfect Office 2004)
Versions for Linux include:
External links
- Corel's Website
- WordPerfect Universe - a moderated, user-supported community of thousands of dedicated fans of WordPerfect, with Forums where you can ask questions, read FAQs, Tips, News, and more. Free to join.
- Wordperfect vs. Word - a user webpage that compares the features of the two programs using a point system.
- Almost Perfect, a personal history of WordPerfect Corporation (and the word processor).
- WPDOS, a Chronology of Versions, a timeline of WordPerfect from its early beginnings through 1997.
- Fansite focussing on WP for Mac
- Screenshot of reveal codes in action