A word-processing program helps you write and edit sentences and paragraphs. Whatever you’re writing and editing (such as a business letter, report, magazine article, or book) is called the document.

Remember that a word-processing program is mainly for manipulating sentences and paragraphs. To manipulate pretty drawings, get a graphics program instead; to manipulate a table of numbers, get a spreadsheet program; to manipulate a list of names (such as a list of your customers), get a database program.

Back in the 1950’s, 1960’s, and 1970’s, computers were used mainly to manipulate lists of numbers, names, and addresses. Since those manipulations were called data-processing (DP), the typical computing center was called a data-processing center (DP center). It was run by a team of programmers and administrators called the data-processing department (DP department).

That’s why the term "word-processing" was invented. Wang, IBM, and other manufacturers said to the secretaries, "We know you don’t like computers and data-processing equipment. But don’t worry: the machines we want to put on your desks are not computers; they’re just souped-up typewriters. You like typewriters, right? Then you’ll like these cute little machines also. We call them word processors. Don’t worry: they’re not data-processing equipment; they’re not computers."

The manufacturers were lying: their desktop machines were computers. To pretend they weren’t computers, the manufacturers called them word processors and omitted any software dealing with numbers or lists.

The trick worked: secretaries acquired word processors, especially the Wang Word Processor and the IBM Displaywriter.

Microsoft Word is the fanciest word-processing program. You’ll be amazed at all the fancy tricks it can perform!

Though the Windows version is officially called "Microsoft Word for Windows", it’s nicknamed Winword.

The new versions are Winword 6c (for Windows 3.1), Winword 7 (for Windows 95), and Winword 97 (which is the newest and fanciest for Windows 95). They eliminate the errors that occurred in version 6, and they’re called "the best word-processing program" by nearly all the IBM and Windows magazines. I agree they’re great. I wrote this 23^rd edition by using Winword 7 (since Winword 97 wasn’t available yet when I starting writing).

If your computer has just 4 megabytes of RAM instead of 8, those Winword versions try to make 4 megabytes of your hard disk imitate 4 megabytes of extra RAM; then the program spends most of its time waiting for the hard disk to spin. If you want to use all the fancy features the critics rave about, the program consumes 25 megabytes of your hard disk, plus 10 extra megabytes of free space to store temporary files, where the program makes notes to itself about what you’re doing. Since the program consumes too much RAM and hard-disk space, it’s called fatware.

For a word processor that’s friendly and professional, consider Ami Pro for Windows. Hassle-free, it runs fine even if you have just a 386 computer with just 4M of RAM and a small hard disk. Sucking you into the world of desktop publishing, it lets you wiggle your mouse to easily create multiple columns, headlines, drawings, and bar & pie charts. Use it to create eye-popping ads, blaring front pages of newspapers, and whatever else you want to make hot and spicy. After you master it, you’ll be saying, "Ah, me: pro!"

Ami Pro was invented by a company called Samna. Since Ami Pro was wonderful, Lotus bought Samna, so Lotus sells Ami Pro. In 1995, IBM bought Lotus, so Lotus is part of IBM.

Unfortunately, Lotus decided to imitate Winword 6: it created an "improved" Ami Pro, called Word Pro, which has extra features but is also very fat and runs very slowly. Everybody hates Word Pro! To apologize, Lotus has created Word Pro 97, which runs faster. I wish Lotus would keep selling the original Ami Pro, which so many folks loved; but Ami Pro is no longer sold (except in the used-software market).

Though Microsoft Word is fancy and Ami Pro was pleasant, many businesses still use an older word-processing program, called Word Perfect. They use a version called Word Perfect 5.1 for DOS. It runs much faster than any Windows program. It runs on any IBM-compatible computer having a hard disk and 512K of RAM. It runs even if the CPU is just an 8088! It’s the word processor I used for writing earlier editions of this book!

Since its commands are hard to remember, you need to keep peeking at a cheat sheet (a sheet of paper containing a list of commands).

While you’re typing and editing, the screen doesn’t quite show what will appear on paper. For example, if you give a command to make a big, tall headline, the headline won’t look any bigger or taller than the rest of the text while you’re typing; it will look bigger just on paper (or when you tell Word Perfect to show you a print preview, which is an uneditable screen view of what will appear on paper). If you insert graphics into your document, you won’t see them until you print them out on paper (or stare at the print preview).

To combat the complaints, Corel (which publishes Word Perfect) now sells Word Perfect 6.1 for DOS, Word Perfect 6.1 for Windows, and Word Perfect 7 for Windows 95. They’re modern but require more RAM and run slowly.

Though Corel hopes you’ll buy version 6.1 or 7, the company still sells version 5.1 for secretaries reluctant to switch. The 5.1 version that’s still sold is called version 5.1+. (The "+" means it includes a few features from version 6.1.)

If you wish, use a word processor that’s smaller, cheaper, and easier to learn. For example, in my operating-system chapters I explained that Windows 3.1 comes with a free word-processing program called Windows Write, Windows 95 comes with a free word processor called WordPad, and Macs often come with a free word processor called Teachtext. If you have a Mac, use Teachtext or step up to Write Now, which understands more commands than Teachtext, is as easy as Teachtext, and requires less RAM than Microsoft Word.

The most pleasant database program, Q&A, includes a simple word-processing program called Q&A Write. If you buy Q&A, get its DOS version; the Windows version is disliked by everybody. You can get the DOS version for $149 (plus tax and shipping) from its creator, a company called Symantec (800-441-7234 or 408-253-9600).

Another way to get a simple word processor is to buy an integrated program such as Microsoft Works (for DOS, Windows, or the Mac), Claris Works (for Windows or the Mac), or Appleworks (for the Apple 2). Each of those integrated programs costs about $90. Computers often come with one of those integrated programs at no extra charge.

During the early 1980’s, many folks used Wordstar (the first powerful word-processing program for microcomputers), Multimate (the first program that made the IBM PC imitate a Wang word-processing machine), Displaywrite (which made the IBM PC imitate an IBM Displaywriter word-processing machine), PC-Write (shareware you could try for free before sending a donation to the author), and Xywrite (which ran faster than any other word processor). But by 1990, most of those users had switched to Word Perfect 5.1.

This book explains 7 word processors: Teachtext (page 154), Windows Write (page 111), WordPad (page 98), Microsoft Word (page 162), Ami Pro (page 173), Q&A Write (page 178), and Word Perfect (page 183). Have fun!