The written word Most people today must be able to express thoughts or needs via the written word, at least occasionally. It is often desirable to clarify written communication of what has already been committed to paper by refining, rephrasing, and restating it. Word processing can be defined as the manipulation of text data including creating a document, editing/changing it, storing and retrieving it, and printing it.

Word Processing Word processing is generally accomplished by means of handwritten or typewritten page, but with either method, the process of revising text is difficult and time consuming. When using a typewriter, for example, you have to retype the entire page if it contains even one change. Or if time constraints disallow retyping, you must use scissors, correction tape, and correction fluid, and then copy the patched document on a copy machine before anything approaching a professional looking document can be achieved. Word processing software makes the process of changing a document much easier by automating the process of entering, editing, revising, storing, and printing documents. One of the most important aspects of computerized word processing is that you do not have to plan the original document carefully. Rather, you can compose the document while sitting at the keyboard; a rough outline is all that you need at the outset. Composing at the keyboard may require some practice on your part, but you will soon get used to composing documents as you enter them. You may also find that you don't forget to make points that somehow slip your mind when you are handwriting text. You can then print out or review the document and make changes. Thus, word processing greatly increases initial productivity. Word processing began in the early 1900s with the introduction of the mechanical typewriter. The Qwerty keyboard was designed to prevent keys from jamming, rather than to increase the speed of data entry. The system was recognized as a vast improvement over handwriting; nonetheless, during the period from 1930 to 1950, various methods of automating the process of producing repetitive documents were attempted. In the early 1960s IBM introduced the mag typewriter, which used a magnetic tape cartridge for sequential access to documents that had been stored on the tape. This was hailed as a dramatic advance because it allowed a user not only to store and then retrieve a document, but also to make immediate insertions, deletions, and corrections on the original without having to change the entire document manually.

Line Editors Line editors, the original word processors, are software development aids that allow a programmer to make changes in a line of program code. The program must be stored on some type of disk device, and only one line at a time can be changed and formatted in the program because line editors cannot deal with anything larger than a individual line. During the late 1960s and early 1970s many large computer manufacturers decided to enter the word processing market by marketing add-on software packages that could be attached to existing mainframes or by introducing stand alone word processing machines. Many mainframe word processing packages were too complicated for the average person to learn to use without special training, so businesses that originally purchased add-on packages have since shifted to dedicated word processing technology. Stand-alone word processors are computers whose sole task is word processing. They are fast, easy to use, fast, and extremely flexible their ability to produce. They usually show on the screen exactly what will appear on the final printed page. Most mainframe word processing packages required the user to imbed strange control codes within the text to perform specific functions--such as centering a line of text, indenting a paragraph, underlining a block of text, or setting margins or tabs--and in order to see the document as it would appear in print, the user had to print it. Until recently, the stand-alone word processor appeared to be the answer to most users' communication needs. Its major drawback was its high cost: a stand-alone word processing device typically cost $15,000 to $20,000, including computer, monitor, disk drives, printer, and software. Only large businesses or organizations could assume such an expense. In addition, the units were so large that a significant part of a room had to be reserved for each one. Even though stand-alone word processors are computers, they are limited to the sole function of word processing, and while today's models are less bulky than their predecessors, they still have limited processing versatility. During the late 1970's, word processing packages were introduced for microcomputers. Bob Barnaby and Seymour Rubinstein developed the first for one of the first microcomputers, the IMSAI. Word processing packages for microcomputers commonly are a composite of mainframe and stand- alone word processing programs with some new additions. Examples include Electric Pencil, WordStar, Samna III, Word, WordPerfect and Scripsit. At first, word processing on microcomputers suffered many of the same limitations as mainframe software and so did not threaten the stand-alone word processing market. It was not easy to use, and it was less powerful than the software on dedicated systems. In recent years, however, microcomputer word processing software has succeeded in closely matching the features provided by manufacturers such as CPT or Wang. Because the software can be run on microcomputers, the user may choose from a wide array of computers and printers to optimize the match of software and hardware to the specific type of application. Lower costs have had an impact on large and small organizations alike. Large businesses have been enabled to expand the word processing function expand beyond the "pool" concept, placing such equipment in the hands of individual users. Small businesses have found that they may more easily afford word processing, thereby taking advantage of the technology that had previously been beyond their financial means.

Major Differences One major difference among microcomputer-based word processing packages is how they handle document size. Some packages limit the size of the document to the amount of available RAM, making ten to sixteen pages the effective maximum. In contrast, what could be referred to as a "virtual" file allocation word processing packages contain only about six to twelve pages of a document in RAM at one time, saving the remainder on disk. A later trend in microcomputer word processing software was the introduction of supplementary writing aid programs such as spelling checkers, grammar checkers, and thesauruses. Some sort processing software comes with these options built in, while others make them installable at additional cost. Add-on programs compatible with many word processing packages are also available from third-party vendors. A still later add-on feature has been in the area of desktop publishing. Desktop publishing provides the ability to generate type set quality output like you see in newspapers and textbooks. It also allows you to combine text with pictures in a document. One problem that continues to plague companies selling word processing software for microcomputers is that the keyboards on most microcomputers are not arranged very well for the typist. A number of companies have begun to offer a variety of replacement keyboards to fill this need. Ever since line editors were made available to computer programmers for making on-line changes to programs, people have used the computer to perform basic editing functions such as moving, copying, inserting, and deleting text. Changes during the past few years, however, have signaled a development beyond using the computer for mere editing and printing to provide creative aids as thought organizers, spelling checkers, and grammar checkers. This trend in word processing development will doubtless continue.

Microsoft Word is among the best Word is judged by many software reviewers to be one of the best word processing packages on the market. It provides you with a tremendous amount of flexibility. The Word for Windows software package is composed of the word processor, A Merge program, a Speller/Thesaurus, as well as a number of other advanced features.