1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,400 Odds are when you sit down at your computer to write yet another exciting TPS report, 2 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:08,400 you're either using Microsoft Office or Google's G Suite, which together 3 00:00:08,400 --> 00:00:11,440 own nearly the entire market in the United States. 4 00:00:11,440 --> 00:00:16,720 But it wasn't always this way. So today, we're going to look at some adulting software from 5 00:00:16,720 --> 00:00:20,320 yesteryear in the third installment of our something part series. 6 00:00:20,320 --> 00:00:26,960 Where are they now? Let's start with one of the first ever widespread word processors, 7 00:00:27,040 --> 00:00:30,880 WordStar. Not to be confused, by the way, with that hip-hop YouTube channel. 8 00:00:31,440 --> 00:00:36,160 Released in 1978, WordStar was the first word processor to feature 9 00:00:36,160 --> 00:00:40,880 what you see is what you get text editing, meaning that what you saw on the screen 10 00:00:40,880 --> 00:00:44,720 more or less looked like what you'd get once you printed out your document. 11 00:00:44,720 --> 00:00:48,240 It also featured keyboard shortcuts that we take for granted today, 12 00:00:48,240 --> 00:00:51,280 such as Ctrl-U to underline your highlighted text. 13 00:00:51,920 --> 00:00:56,000 These interface improvements coupled with the fact that it was coded to work across 14 00:00:56,000 --> 00:01:01,840 a variety of systems meant that by the mid 1980s, WordStar had become immensely popular. 15 00:01:02,400 --> 00:01:08,160 But as computing power grew, this portability became WordStar's downfall. 16 00:01:08,800 --> 00:01:13,600 Other word processors written for the increasingly dominant IBM PC and its 17 00:01:13,600 --> 00:01:19,200 compatibles offered PC-specific features that WordStar couldn't compete with, 18 00:01:19,200 --> 00:01:21,840 and the product was in trouble by the late 1980s. 19 00:01:22,480 --> 00:01:28,720 Development ultimately ceased in 1999, but that doesn't mean it doesn't still have its fans. 20 00:01:28,720 --> 00:01:32,000 Notably, George R.R. Martin, of Game of Thrones fame, 21 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:35,440 still uses WordStar for MS-DOS to write his novels. 22 00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:38,720 Maybe that's why it takes so long to write a damn book. 23 00:01:39,440 --> 00:01:43,760 Moving on, one of the programs that displaced WordStar was WordPerfect, 24 00:01:43,760 --> 00:01:50,080 which brought lots of useful features, such as macros, support for a wide variety of printers, 25 00:01:50,080 --> 00:01:56,160 footnotes, and automatic line numbering, which is really important for lawyers and academic writers. 26 00:01:56,160 --> 00:02:02,400 In fact, WordPerfect was so feature-packed that it needed a 600-page manual and a small 27 00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:07,840 army of tech support staff. They even hired what were called hold jockeys to keep their 28 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:11,840 customers entertained while they were waiting to speak to tech support. Wait, hold on a second. 29 00:02:11,840 --> 00:02:17,600 Is that still a job? Where do I apply to be a hold jockey? No? Alright. 30 00:02:17,680 --> 00:02:21,440 By 1993, WordPerfect controlled over 60% of the market 31 00:02:21,440 --> 00:02:28,400 and was eventually sold to Corel in 1996, who envisioned it as becoming the Pepsi to Microsoft's 32 00:02:28,400 --> 00:02:34,800 Coke. WordPerfect even became integrated into a full office suite. But unfortunately, 33 00:02:34,800 --> 00:02:40,320 when it came time to release WordPerfect on Windows, the transition wasn't very smooth, 34 00:02:40,320 --> 00:02:45,760 and Microsoft took full advantage by releasing the familiar MS word along with the rest of 35 00:02:45,760 --> 00:02:52,000 Microsoft Office. Now, because Microsoft Office was designed by the same company to be far more 36 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:57,600 stable on Windows, WordPerfect was left to play catch-up, especially since Word and MS Office 37 00:02:57,600 --> 00:03:02,800 relied more on the mouse, which was easier for mainstream users to use than trying to memorize 38 00:03:02,800 --> 00:03:07,760 key combinations. In the following years, WordPerfect lost much of its former popularity, 39 00:03:07,760 --> 00:03:13,520 but some law offices and government agencies still do swear by it, and it's actually still 40 00:03:13,520 --> 00:03:18,160 available to buy from Corel with the newest version dating back to only last year. 41 00:03:18,160 --> 00:03:23,040 But not every Microsoft productivity software was a smash hit that crushed its competitors. 42 00:03:23,040 --> 00:03:28,480 If you owned a PC any time in the 1990s, you probably found a copy of Microsoft Works 43 00:03:28,480 --> 00:03:33,760 pre-installed. Like other office suites, it had a word processor, a spreadsheet, and a database 44 00:03:33,760 --> 00:03:39,440 manager, and a huge part of its appeal was its low cost. If it wasn't bundled with your PC, 45 00:03:39,440 --> 00:03:43,040 it was easy to get a copy for far cheaper than most other suites. 46 00:03:43,680 --> 00:03:48,240 Now, although it was stripped down and didn't offer a feature set nearly as extensive as the 47 00:03:48,240 --> 00:03:54,080 full FAT Office suites, its ease of use made it popular for home users, and unlike the full-blown 48 00:03:54,080 --> 00:03:59,200 version of Office, Works was actually just one program. The database manager, spreadsheet, 49 00:03:59,200 --> 00:04:04,000 and word processor all ran in the same window, meaning that it was much easier for lower spec 50 00:04:04,320 --> 00:04:10,080 computers to run. However, while Works could open Word documents, 51 00:04:10,080 --> 00:04:14,640 Works files themselves were stored in a proprietary format, making the program 52 00:04:14,640 --> 00:04:21,200 unpopular with larger organizations. And once more robust free alternatives like G Suite started 53 00:04:21,200 --> 00:04:27,120 hitting the scene, Works was eventually replaced by a starter edition of Microsoft Office in 2010. 54 00:04:27,760 --> 00:04:31,840 Finally, we don't want to forget about our good friends that prefer using a Mac. 55 00:04:31,840 --> 00:04:36,880 During the 90s, a program called Claris Works became very popular, and if you went to school 56 00:04:36,880 --> 00:04:42,000 during the era where Macs with their fancy graphical interface were the most coveted systems in the 57 00:04:42,000 --> 00:04:47,520 computer lab, chances are that you remember it well. Claris was actually an Apple-created 58 00:04:47,520 --> 00:04:53,360 software studio that bought a program called GS Works from a different company, which became 59 00:04:53,360 --> 00:04:58,240 its own Office suite both bundled with Macs and sold on store shelves. Actually, there was even 60 00:04:58,240 --> 00:05:04,320 a Windows version. Designed to compete with Microsoft Works, Claris Works was very well 61 00:05:04,320 --> 00:05:10,240 reviewed, and it even added a presentation program in a later version, something MS Works didn't have. 62 00:05:10,240 --> 00:05:15,680 The suite also had drawing and painting programs, making it a do-it-all program in a way that MS 63 00:05:15,680 --> 00:05:22,080 Works wasn't. In fact, Claris Works outsold Microsoft Works for a good chunk of the 90s, 64 00:05:22,080 --> 00:05:28,240 but by 2005, Claris Works, having since been renamed Apple Works, was being displaced by 65 00:05:28,240 --> 00:05:33,360 iWork, a more traditional, fully featured Office suite that has been Apple's main offering ever 66 00:05:33,360 --> 00:05:39,600 since. Apple stopped selling Apple Works in 2007, but you can actually still open old files created 67 00:05:39,600 --> 00:05:45,280 using the software in iWork. So guys, is there a rather obscure piece of software that you used 68 00:05:45,280 --> 00:05:50,320 to bang out your school reports on? Lotus, anyone? Let us know down in the comments, 69 00:05:50,320 --> 00:05:54,160 but if you'll excuse me for now, I suddenly have an urge to see if I can get my old typewriter 70 00:05:54,160 --> 00:05:58,880 working again. So thanks for watching guys, like, dislike, check out our other videos, 71 00:05:58,880 --> 00:06:02,240 and leave a comment if you have a suggestion for a future fast as possible.