Abstract
AbstractWord processing software evolved from rudimentary yet highly specialized tools for programmers in the early 1960s into very sophisticated but user-friendly PC applications for the general public in the 1980s and early 1990s. The history of word processing—from debugging code on teleprinter terminals in computer labs to authoring everyday documents on personal computers with graphical user interfaces—is therefore also the story of how computing technology came to the masses and how it transformed our concepts, instruments, and practices of writing. This is the first of three chapters on word processing covering the initial stage of the development. It gives a summary of the early ideas and technologies that would eventually lead to the ubiquitous writing tools available for PCs, laptops and other mobile devices today. The beginnings of word processing, however, were not as smooth as modern applications may suggest. A large set of technological innovations in both hardware and software, conceptual shifts concerning writing and novel business strategies for the computing business were needed to finally realize today’s paradigm of digital writing. The chapter’s historical account ends around 1990 with the emergence of Microsoft Word for Windows as the de facto industry standard for word processing.
Publisher
Springer International Publishing
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