I never used WordStar, but I've been an emacs user since 1989 and I love how they use the control key & that they shipped a tool to swap capslock/control. Swapping caps/control has been a constant in my life since I stopped using *nix workstations that put control in the correct place (left side of home row).
WordStar: A Writer's Word Processor (1996)
91–94 of 94 posts
Re: WordStar: A Writer's Word Processor (1996)
#92I wrote my middle-school papers in WordStar...
This was my first exposure to 2-step command combos (some call "chords") starting with Ctrl+K and then a second key.
I'm unsure if WordStar created this feature.
However, by way of Turbo Pascal, Delphi, Visual Studio and even VS Code, somehow this feature followed me into the present day for ~40 years!
Re: WordStar: A Writer's Word Processor (1996)
#93Earlier quoted context omitted.
I learned to love WordPerfect. I still miss the ability to "Reveal Codes" and see exactly where it had placed the non-printing codes to turn on/off bold, italics, to change margins, etc. When MS Word screws your entire document's formatting by typing a single letter, or moves stuff around the page seemingly randomly, your only option is to undo or reload the document. You can read an insider's story of WordPerfect by…
Didn't MS Word have Reveal Codes ? At least for some years ? I doubt it is (or was ever) in Mac Pages.
It still has some vestigial ones left, though most of them are buried under File > Options > Display now. (The most common one to show/hide Paragraph Marks/Pilcrows ¶ is also for now still on the Ribbon under Home > Paragraph [Alt+H8].)
The Word argument is that its underlying model was always "stylesheet-based" more than "RTF escape code based" like Word Perfect was so relying on "Reveal Codes workflows" was an impedance mismatch and that you should really learn its Formatting Styles system (which is also why the Styles Gallery is the biggest section of the Home Ribbon since the invention of the Ribbon).
Re: WordStar: A Writer's Word Processor (1996)
#94I believe George R. R. Martin uses wordstar to write his books. I still hold a little hope that he will finish A Song of Ice and Fire series.
I have picked up from random interviews and other things the belief that GRRM finished the series but is considering publishing it posthumously to just not have to deal with fans picking it apart, especially because of reactions to the ending of the HBO Show.