As it turns out, Microsoft Word version 5.5 is actually still available for download from Microsoft’s site, mainly as a “fix” for Y2K issues. This look at Word version 5.5 was completely unplanned, and only came about due to stumbling across it during some research on Word 6.0. In this post, we will look at two versions of Microsoft Word, version 5.5 for MS-DOS and version 6.0a for Windows. The success of Microsoft Word meant no recovery for the rivals – we watched Samna Word/Lotus Word Pro and WordPerfect disappear into the abyss. This post from the Computer History Museum shows how quickly Microsoft Word for Windows took the market, despite the new paradigm being initially shot down as being inefficient, difficult and “different”. The landscape changed very quickly with the introduction of WYSIWYG graphical interfaces, that of Microsoft Word for Windows. The first one that I used was actually WordPerfect 5.1 for DOS (which I might have a “flashback” about in the future) followed by Microsoft Works for DOS (which Sparcie covered very well in his post). The word processing market goes back all the way to purpose built Wang machines, through WordStar on CP/M machines and so on. It’s important to remember that Microsoft Word wasn’t always the dominant word processor. Its file formats and ubiquity have led to a large number of semi-compatible attempts at producing compatible office programs and frustration due to lack of file format documentation. Whether it was to type up an assignment, a letter, a thesis or something else entirely, the dominant word processor for at least the past decade has undoubtedly been Microsoft Word. Most people who use a computer have undoubtedly used a word processor before.

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