I still have the 4 floppy disks (french version). I remember the sentence generator with random words that was really funny. The word processing interface had a ribbon-style toolbar with tabs and multiple "pages" that we can alternate by clicking on the lever.
Microsoft Creative Writer (1993)
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Re: Microsoft Creative Writer (1993)
#22If this looked familiar to you but isn't quite the program you remember, you might have used Storybook Weaver (1994) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storybook_Weaver I wonder if there's a market for a new word processor for children? When I volunteer in schools students seem to be made to use Google Docs or Office, which I imagine is initially overwhelming.
I've used Google Docs probably since I was 8 or 9, I don't remember it being particularly hard to pick up. Also, Google has Google Classroom which works best with Google Docs, so Google Docs is probably what's most common with kids.
Re: Microsoft Creative Writer (1993)
#23If this looked familiar to you but isn't quite the program you remember, you might have used Storybook Weaver (1994) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storybook_Weaver I wonder if there's a market for a new word processor for children? When I volunteer in schools students seem to be made to use Google Docs or Office, which I imagine is initially overwhelming.
> I wonder if there's a market for a new word processor for children? Undoubtedly. ...but not one that the market will pay actual money for, so you'll have to plaster it in ads - but having ads targeting children is unethical and/or illegal.
The market isn't the kids, it's the schools.
Re: Microsoft Creative Writer (1993)
#24Re: Microsoft Creative Writer (1993)
#25I grew up in the 90s and really loved software like Creative Writer, KidPix, 3D Movie Maker, etc.
What's the landscape like for kids today? Is it all mobile apps?
Re: Microsoft Creative Writer (1993)
#26I used to love this program as a kid. Thanks for bringing back some memories :)
Re: Microsoft Creative Writer (1993)
#27Earlier quoted context omitted.
> I wonder if there's a market for a new word processor for children? Undoubtedly. ...but not one that the market will pay actual money for, so you'll have to plaster it in ads - but having ads targeting children is unethical and/or illegal.
The market isn't the kids, it's the schools.
Counterpoint: Schools, and even the highest regarded institutions of higher-education in the world, seem to think that Blackboard is good software.
Re: Microsoft Creative Writer (1993)
#28I grew up in the 90s and really loved software like Creative Writer, KidPix, 3D Movie Maker, etc. What's the landscape like for kids today? Is it all mobile apps?
With my kids the popular creative tools are: Super Mario Maker (Switch), Game Builder Garage (Switch), Minecraft (everything). Book Creator, Procreate, GarageBand, Pages, Keynote and iMovie (iOS)
My kids end up using a mix of "kid friendly" software (especially when it relates to game making or coding) and regular software. The regular software they use typically relates to schoolwork and is usually on iPad: Procreate for drawing and painting, Google Docs or Pages for word processing. Book Creator / Keynote for class presentations
It seems like the kid-friendly software still exists, but has shifted from word processing and painting to coding and game making
Re: Microsoft Creative Writer (1993)
#29> Both are now discontinued, but can still be acquired from online stores and auction websites such as eBay.
Sad that this will never be the case for any software released past like 2015. Now if/when the servers are shut off, that is it.
Re: Microsoft Creative Writer (1993)
#30I grew up in the 90s and really loved software like Creative Writer, KidPix, 3D Movie Maker, etc. What's the landscape like for kids today? Is it all mobile apps?
With my kids the popular creative tools are: Super Mario Maker (Switch), Game Builder Garage (Switch), Minecraft (everything). Book Creator, Procreate, GarageBand, Pages, Keynote and iMovie (iOS) My kids end up using a mix of "kid friendly" software (especially when it relates to game making or coding) and regular software. The regular software they use typically relates to schoolwork and is usually on iPad: Procreat…
> It seems like the kid-friendly software still exists, but has shifted from word processing and painting to coding and game making
Thankfully! I remember managing a classroom computer lab around 2010. The challenge was to get often buggy educational software from the mid-1990's to run under Windows XP, since the mid-1990's was when most of the software with any educational merit was developed. There were a handful of contemporary standouts, like Scratch and TuxPaint, but they were scarce. (The children may have loved KidPix, but it was nearly impossible to teach with since they were fixated with the animated effects.)