Hugo and Nebula Award-Winning Science Fiction Writer, Robert J. Sawyer, has painstakingly packaged a distribution of WordStar 7.0d for DOS. Sawyer says he spent weeks of his time crafting this full install of the seminal word processor, making it possible to be “up and running on a Windows computer in a matter of minutes.” In addition to the software, the Canadian author includes a full-text searchable PDF of all seven manuals that originally came with the word processor, his hints and tips, and more. All 25 of Sawyer’s novels are said to have been written using WordStar, efficiently aided by the program’s keyboard-centric UI.
For our younger readers, WordStar for DOS was last updated in 1992, and is currently classed by some as ‘abandonware.’ Though the DOS edition of the software was indeed abandoned, there have been several changes of ownership of the publishing company, numerous WordStar releases for more modern platforms like Windows, and a handful of clones trying to keep the WordStar flame burning on modern platforms. In other words, Sawyer's characterization of WordStar for DOS as abandonware isn't a legal one.
It might be hard to fathom the appeal of this old word processor, but many authors have been known to be WordStar devotees. As well as Sawyer, literary luminaries such as George R.R. Martin, Anne Rice, and Arthur C. Clarke are/were WordStar torchbearers.
These older authors probably first tasted the delights of word processing on machines packing a copy of WordStar. So, it is understandable that the first-learned, muscle-memory enhanced, keyboard shortcut-packed software would be engrained as a favorite. Sawyer, who spent so much time on this re-packaged version, says there should be “a monument to this, the finest word-processing program ever created.” He also quotes Anne Rice, who said that WordStar was “magnificent,” and contrasted starkly with the “pure madness” of Microsoft Word.
Sawyer reveals that his work to create this archive isn’t just about making a simple, easy-to-use distribution to keep WordStar for DOS alive. He notes that once he “is gone” the archive may be useful for those who take care of his literary estate, and all the electronic manuscripts that it includes. The archive will also make changing to new PCs more efficient for WordStar for DOS users.
If you use Sawyer’s distribution of WordStar, you will be firing up the ancient DOS app in the bundled DOSBox-X and VDosPlus – so it works on your modern PC. Head on over to the top link to grab the full 680MB WordStar 7.0d ‘Robert J. Sawyer edition’ if you are interested. Also, the comments on his blog post announcing the distribution make for a great read.
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