WordPerfect
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- WordPerfect was also the name of a road bicycle racing team.
WordPerfect for DOS
WordPerfect was originally produced by Bruce Bastian and Dr. Alan Ashton who founded 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 automatic paragraph numbering (important to the law office market), and the splitting of a lengthy footnote and its partial overflow to the bottom of the next page, as if it had been professionally typeset (valuable to both the law office and academic markets). WordPerfect 4.2 became the first program to overtake the original microcomputer word processor 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, which included a pull-down menu that version 5.0 lacked as well as support for tables, a spreadsheet-like feature. Unlike previous DOS versions, WordPerfect 6.0 for DOS ran in a graphical mode, presenting WYSIWYG fonts and text effects like bold, underline, and italics. The previous text-based versions used different colors or text color inversions to indicate various markups.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 and use the function key combinations from the DOS version, which were originally designed for the layout of the 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 versions allowed these functions to be rotated to locations that later became more standard).
WordPerfect Corporation produced a variety of ancillary and spin-off products. WordPerfect Library (introduced in 1986 and later renamed WordPerfect Office) was a package of network and stand-alone utilities for use with WordPerfect, primarily developed for offices running Novell Netware. WordPerfect Library/Office included the DOS antecedents of what is now known as Novell Groupwise, a shareable package of contact management, calendaring, and related word processing utilities. WordPerfect Library/Office -- a brand name later revived by Corel after it acquired ownership of WordPerfect and other programs still bundled under that product name as of this writing -- included amongst other utilities a local area network (LAN) email facility and was the most popular such package in its day.
The Library/Office bundle also included a noteworthy task-switching program that ran as a shell atop DOS, branded as WordPerfect Shell. Task-switchers were a popular application type for the DOS operating system because of its lack of multi-tasking, making it impractical to have many applications running at once. Task-switchers were programs that allocated available memory between open applications, allowing fast switching between open applications whose actions were suspended when the user switched to a different program. (The task-switching shell market was eventually dominated by a single company's product, the Microsoft Windows 3.x versions.) WordPerfect Shell 4.0, which was also bundled with the WordPerfect 6.x versions, had most functionality of the Windows 3.x shell but was far more versatile. Its automated memory management was superior to that of the Microsoft Windows shell, and Microsoft's product generally performed with far less frequent memory glitches when Windows was run as a program under Shell 4.0. The user interface for Shell was based on a hierarchical menu metaphor rather than the windows/folders/icons metaphor used by Microsoft. Shell 4.0's menu structures could be individually hot-keyed as pop-ups and its powerful menu editor allowed fast creation and editing of menu structures and menu items, with each menu item quickly configurable for entry of command lines and menu names. Shell 4.0 included 80 programmable clipboards, and the menu structures and menu items were also programmable using a scripting language whose scripts could themselves be chained to and from WordPerfect macros. The scripting language also included a keyboard buffer stuffing tool for control and operation of non-WordPerfect applications. Microsoft Windows had no answer to such powerful features other than a glitz of windows, icons, pointing devices, and an overwhelming marketing strategy. WordPerfect Shell was laid to rest along with many other popular DOS character-based tools inundated by Microsoft's marketing of Windows 95. Novell later licensed Shell 3.0 and 4.0 for free distribution. As of this writing it is still downloadable from the DataPerfect Users Group.
WordPerfect Library/Office also included a Calculator, a flat-file database called Notebook that could be used by itself or in WordPerfect document 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 DOS not only shipped with an impressive array of printer drivers, it also shipped with a printer driver editor called PTR, which features a flexible macro language and allows technically-inclined users to customize and create printer drivers.
Internally, WordPerfect used an extensive WordPerfect character set as its internal code. The precise meaning of the characters, although clearly defined and documented, can be overridden in its customizable printer drivers with PTR.
The relationship between different type faces and styles, and between them and the various sections in the WordPerfect character set, were also described in the printer drivers and can be customized through PTR.
To this day, WordPerfect's three major characteristics that have differentiated from other market-leading word processors are its streaming code architecture, its Reveal Codes feature, and its unusually user-friendly macro/scripting language, PerfectScript. Unlike the competing major products, WordPerfect's only dependency on styles (a particular type of programming object) is the Opening Style, which contains the default settings for a document. The remainder of a document may be composed without resort to styles, although styles are a feature that can be used if desired. This freedom from styles results from WordPerfect's streaming code design. Documents are created much the same way that raw HTML pages are written, with text interspersed by tags that trigger treatment of data until a corresponding closing tag is encountered, at which point the settings active to the point of the opening tag resume control. As with HTML, tags can be nested. Some data structures are treated as objects within the stream as with HTML's treatment of graphic images, e.g., footnotes and styles, but the bulk of a WordPerfect document's data and formatting codes appear as a single continuous stream. The Reveal Codes feature is a second editing screen that can be toggled open and closed at the bottom of the main editing screen. Text is displayed in Reveal Codes interspersed with tags and the occasional objects, with the tags and objects represented by named tokens. The scheme makes it far easier to untangle coding messes than with styles-based word processors, and object tokens can be clicked with a pointing device to directly open the configuration editor for the particular object type. E.g., clicking on a style token brings up the style editor with the particular style type displayed. WordPerfect users forced to change word processors by employers frequently complain on WordPerfect online fora that they are lost without Reveal Codes. Because of their style dependencies, efforts to create the equivalent of Reveal Codes in other word processors have produced disappointing results.
No description of WordPerfect for DOS would be complete without mentioning its keystroke macro facility. This enabled any sequence of keystrokes to be recorded, saved, edited, and recalled. Macros could examine system data, make decisions, be chained together, and operate recursively until a defined 'stop' condition was met. This capability provided an amazingly powerful way to rearrange data and formatting codes within a document, where the same sequence of actions needed to be performed repetitively e.g. for tabular data. Unfortunately, this facility could not easily be ported to the subsequent Windows versions.
A new and even more powerful interpreted token-based macro recording and scripting language was introduced for both DOS and Windows 6.0 versions named PerfectScript, and has remained the mainstay scripting language for WordPerfect users ever since. PerfectScript was specifically designed to be user-friendly, thus avoiding far less user-friendly methods of scripting languages implemented on other word processing programs that require education in advanced programming concepts such as Object Oriented Programming in order to produce useful yet sophisticated and powerful macros.
An implementation of Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) was added in WordPerfect for Windows 9.0, but there has been no significant user adoption of VBA because of its user-unfriendly design and WordPerfect users, developers, and system integrators' decided preference for PerfectScript.
People who code scripts for WordPerfect use the Macros & Merges forum at WordPerfect Universe as their primary meeting ground. That site is a collaboration among other WordPerfect-related web site operators and others and functions as a portal to WordPerfect resources on the web. The site also maintains an extensive clip library for use in PerfectScript programming, has the Web's largest metalink library for locating online WordPerfect resources, and has the only peer-to-peer forum on the Web for DOS WordPerfect.
The WordPerfect template and document file formats have remained remarkably stable since the WordPerfect 6.x DOS and Windows versions. Complete backward compatibility has been maintained and all WordPerfect versions since 6.0 have included a feature that stores any unrecognized codes in stream location represented in Reveal Codes by an "Unknown" token. Documents generated on newer versions can thus be edited in older versions with the codes retained. Then, upon being reopened in a newer version of WordPerfect, the "unknown" tokens regain their functionality. None of the newer WordPerfect features reflected in the file formats cause data loss when opened in older versions.
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.Internally, WordPerfect for Windows still used the WordPerfect character set as its internal code. This caused WordPerfect for Windows to be unable to support some languages—for example Chinese—that can be natively supported by Windows.
WordPerfect became part of an office 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. However, Novell kept the WordPerfect Office technology, incorporating it into its GroupWise messaging and collaboration product.
Between the weaknesses of the initial 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 it never recovered. Amongst its remaining avid users are many law firms and a few universities, to which Corel now caters as niche markets (with, for example, a major sale to the United States Department of Justice in 2005 [link]). In November 2004, Novell filed an antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft for alleged anticompetitive behaviour that Novell claims led to loss of WordPerfect market share [link].
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.
WordPerfect Compared to Other Word Processors
On the plus side...
According to WordPerfect aficionados, there are many reasons why they consider it superior to its competitors (especially Microsoft's 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.
- Apart from WordPerfect 5.0 for DOS, there is more stable handling of long, heavily formatted documents than Word and consequently, better integration with optical character recognition software.
- WordPerfect has the ability to use inline formatting if desired, and dispense altogether with styles
- There is easier and more reliable editing of tables, especially when they contain merged cells and when the user wants to add or delete cells.
- WordPerfect has useful features for creating tables of authorities in legal documents.
- WordPerfect has the ability to select menus and keyboard layouts corresponding to earlier versions of WordPerfect, allowing users to keep using the keystroke shortcuts and combinations learned on earlier versions.
- WordPerfect's multi-level paragraph numbering which is much easier to use than its buggy equivalent in Word 97.
- Finally WordPerfect has a wide variety of import and export filters.
However....
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.
Unicode and Asian Language Editing
WordPerfect also lacks support for Unicode. The absence of support for Unicode is a serious failing in WordPerfect, which severely limits its usefulness in many markets outside North America and Western Europe. Despite repeated pleas from many longtime users, this feature has not been implemented in even the latest version, X3.
Even for users in WordPerfect's traditional markets, the inability to deal with complex character sets, such as Asian language scripts, can cause significant difficulty when working on documents containing those characters. The drift away from WordPerfect toward Unicode-compliant competitors will likely accelerate unless the issue is addressed soon. Later versions have provided better compliance with interface conventions, file compatibility, and even Word interface emulation.
However Asian language editing is possible with the use of an appropriate soft keyboard or Input Method Editor (IME) freely available as a download from Microsoft and others. A Chinese user can write their Chinese document and use all of the WP editing functions (at least in X3 and perhaps in earlier editions), however there may be problems inputing Chinese characters into functional screens, as there are with any English-language program or Operating System (such as scripting codes for macros and dialog menus.
The question of unicode compliance remains one of compliance and compatibility, not one of functional Asian language use in WP.
\"Classic Mode\"
Corel added "Classic Mode" in WordPerfect 11. This was an attempt to win back users who 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.
The One-click
WordPerfect includes a one-click PDF creation feature, which lets users create PDF documents 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. The download is still available at sites listed at [link], along with the necessary OS 8/9/Classic Updater that slows scroll speed and restores functionality to the Style and Window menus. 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, or on an Intel-based Mac, via Microsoft Windows Xp Service Pack 2. There does not appear to be any third-party development of a WordPerfect clone or work-alike for OS X.
WordPerfect for Linux
In 1995, WordPerfect 6.0 was made available for Linux as part of Caldera's internet office package. In late 1997, a newer version was made available for download, but had to be purchased to be activated. Hoping to establish themselves in the nascent commercial Linux market, Corel also developed their own distribution of Linux.
Although the Linux distribution was fairly well-received, the response to WordPerfect for Linux was varied. Some Linux promoters appreciated the availability of a well-known, mainstream application for the OS. 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 derived from the Windows version using the experimental WINE compatibility library) was highly criticized.
WordPerfect failed to gain a large user base, and as part of Corel's change of strategic direction following a (non-voting) investment by Microsoft, WordPerfect for Linux was discontinued and their Linux distribution was sold to Xandros. In April 2004, Corel re-released WordPerfect 8.1 (the last Linux-native version) with some updates, as a "proof of concept" and to test the Linux market. As of 2005, WordPerfect for Linux is not available for purchase.
Versions
Versions for DOS include:
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
- 1991 WordPerfect 1.0.1 for NeXT Computers
- 1991 WordPerfect 5.1 for Windows
- 1992 WordPerfect 5.2 for Windows
- 1993 WordPerfect 6.0 for Windows
- 1994 WordPerfect 6.1 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 12)
- 2006 WordPerfect X3 for Windows (WordPerfect Office X3)
Versions for Java include:
1997 WordPerfect for Java
Future Versions
On January 17, 2006, Corel announced WordPerfect X3, the newest version of this office package. Corel is an original member of the OASIS Technical Committee on the Open Document Format, and Paul Langille, a senior Corel developer, is one of the original four authors of the OpenDocument specification, so support for this format became expected.
Also, Corel sent a letter to Massachusetts supporting their selection OpenDocument, saying, "Corel strongly supports the broad adoption of the open standards Massachusetts has outlined, including XML, the OASIS Open Document Format and PDF.... Corel remains committed to working alongside OASIS and other technology vendors to ensure the continued evolution of the ODF standard and the adoption of open standards industry-wide." [link] Many find it improbable that Corel would invest so much effort, and say that they will work to ensure adoption, without implementing it themselves. [link]
In a September 2005 interview with eWeek's Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols [link] the communications manager for Corel WordPerfect, Greg Wood, was paraphrased as saying "While Corel won't commit to a date for adding OpenDocument to WordPerfect, the company made it clear that it is working towards that goal" although a direct quote said "it is not appropriate at this time for Corel to disclose its plans for OpenDocument in future versions of WordPerfect Office". However in an October 2005 interview with BetaNews's Ed Oswald [link] the general manager of Office Productivity for Corel, Richard Carriere, said "...the reality is that there's no adoption of these standards and, as far as I know, there still needs to be some development to make it into a real product. Fine, Sun announces that StarOffice will support ODF, but the reality is people need to exchange files, and today nobody is exchanging files using ODF. On the other hand, if you talk about open formats, here we are with support for PDF in WordPerfect. You can save documents in PDF and exchange them very easily. That's an open format. We have also supported [a Corel schema for] XML for many versions". This was interpreted as, at best, sitting on the fence or, at worst, no support ever in the blog of OASIS legal counsel Andy Updegrove [link] and by ZDNet reporter David Berlind [link].
Corel has since this time taken a wait-and-see approach, promising ODF support based on customer demand while emphasizing its participation in open standards bodies like OASIS.
In January, suscribers to Corel's electronic newsletter were informed that WordPerfect 13 is scheduled for release later in 2006. The subsequent release of X3 (identified as "13" internally and in registry entries) has been met with generally positive reviews, due to new features including a unique PDF import capability, metadata removal tools, integrated search and online resources and other features.
Version X3 was described by cnet.com in January, 2006 as a "winner," "a feature-packed productivity suite that's just as easy to use--and in many ways more innovative than--industry-goliath Microsoft Office 2003." CNET went on to describe X3 as "a solid upgrade for longtime users," but that "Die-hard Microsoft fans may want to wait to see what Redmond has up its sleeve with the radical changes expected within the upcoming Microsoft Office 12." [link]
While the notable if incremental enhancements of WordPerfect Office X3 have been well received by reviewers, a number of online forums have voiced concern about the future direction of WordPerfect, with longtime users complaining about certain usability and functionality issues that users have been asking to have fixed for the last few release versions. It should also be noted that most of the glowing reviews were not written by long-time users of the product. A cursory glance through the main user forums will show the level of discontent at the underwhelming nature of the improvements in X3. This is not simply because those who use the product most are more likely to focus on what's not been fixed than what has been, but also because of the long list of increasingly ancient improvement requests and bugfixes that have not made it into X3. Glowing "endorsements" from commercial reviewers (who got a free copy to play with) should be weighed against the opinions of those who actually use, and more importantly, buy it.
Reports surfaced late in January 2006 that Apple's iWork had leapfrogged WordPerfect Office as leading alternative to Microsoft Office. This claim was soon debunked[link] after industy analyst Joe Wilcox described JupiterResearch usage surveys that showed WordPerfect as the No. 2 office suite behind Microsoft Office in the consumer, SMB and enterprise markets with roughly a 15 percent share in each market.
See also
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 for DOS Updated] - New printer drivers, updates, and added features for WordPerfect for DOS 5.1 and 6.x (with pages on WP on the Mac and Linux)
- [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]
- [Free support, discussion, files and links for Macintosh version, including program download]
- [Barry MacDonnell's Toolbox for WordPerfect], a non-commercial user web site offering free macros, tips, and templates for WordPerfect for Windows since 1996.
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