What a throwback! When I entered the workforce in 1991 I became a word processor using Word Perfect 4.2 every day, all day. I could type 100 wpm including all the codes using that software and worked exclusively with reveal codes ON. I was so mad when I had to switch to Word years later and went from being keyboard shortcut based to mouse based. To this day I still use keyboard shortcuts for a lot of things instead of wasting time with the mouse.
I agree. I loved using Word Perfect. When I had to start using Word, I thought it was rubbish and I still think that today. It's a disaster in my view, but it still dominates the market.
I should have been more clear. WordPerfect 6.0 was the last version released by WordPerfect Corporation. I think 6.1 was released by Novell (after the buy-out) and 6.2 was released by Corel (after Corel bought it).
I’ve always enjoyed word processors, much like other people enjoy games or text editors. On Linux, I primarily use Wordgrinder and LibreOffice Writer, but when I need to write something important, I defer to either ClarisWorks for Macintosh or my favorite, WordPerfect for DOS. I actually use it more nowadays than I did when I was younger. Although I mostly use WordPerfect 5.1, I recently tried WordPerfect 6.2 by Corel, which has a real-time TrueType WYSIWYG graphics mode, the best ever in DOS imho, and similar to the version in this video. Although 6.2 feels more modern than its predecessors, I think I’ll stick with WordPerfect 5.1, just for the familiarity and charm. I still want to try 6.0, which looks like a nice middle-ground. There’s just something about classic DOS word processors that are conducive to good writing, at least for me. Thanks for the video, Jim. Your hard work is much appreciated. Cheers!
I upgraded from 5.1 to 6.2 a couple of days ago, because 6.2 has bookmarks and quick-mark, and I need that for longer documents (creative writing). And you can tell 6.2 to use the 5.1 keyboard commands :) Also, I was able to find language files for Danish for 6.2, but not 5.1. Since I'm Danish, that's a selling argument. I lived and breathed WP 5.1 back in the day :)
@@JacobMoen WP 6.2 was good too. I ran WP60 because that was the last version released by WordPerfect Corporation - and I think was the last version of WP I used before I switched to Galaxy.
@@freedosproject I got WP5.1 cheap in 1996, I think, and really wouldn't have been able to afford something like 6.2 :) I am surprised how quickly I adapt to 6.2 - it's quite self documented compared to 5.1.
Yep... I vaguely recall WordPerfect 5.1 for DOS was around $250. Indeed the WYSIWIG mode in 6.0 was noticeably slower -- on the 33MHz 486 PC that I was using it was nearly unusable in that mode, so I never bothered to upgrade to the 5.1 version. Indeed, one of the features I really liked about WordPerfect was the "reveal codes" mode -- which came in *very* useful in ironing out problems where the formatting goes wonky due to interaction between different formatting codes (and usually the "fix" was usually a matter of removing some extraneous formatting codes).
One of the things that irritated me (and still irritates me) is later versions of Word for Windows would "second guess" what you're doing and start replacing the formatting with what it assumes is what you meant to do (and more often than not, this guess is completely wrong). Worse yet is when it starts overriding or modifying the stylesheets (making it *very* difficult to keep the formatting of a document consistent). Though not as convenient for novice users to use -- I liked WordPerfect as it didn't get in my way, nor did it irritate me by second-guessing my intent and making a mess of things by guessing wrong and making changes based on that wrong guess..
When "Clippy" first appeared, that's when Word added the "suggestions" feature. I was very surprised when I was updating a twenty page "how-to" document, and on page ten I wrote "To reboot the systems:" and when I hit Enter, Clippy appeared and asked if I was writing a letter!
WordPerfect and Lotus 1-2-3 were two programs that could almost guarantee you an office job in the 1980s and early 1990s. My summer jobs during my undergrad university years (early 1990s) were office jobs, often using WordPerfect or Lotus 1-2-3.
It's been a few years since I've seen a modern version of WordPerfect, but I believe reveal codes is still there. That feature by itself really set WordPerfect apart from the other options, at least for me. I wish they kept the Linux version going.
That RevealCodes feature was really neat! So helpful to help you debug a document. And as others have commented, it provided a basis to learn HTML later (if you understand how RevealCodes worked, you could figure out HTML.)
@@freedosproject of course, the big problem is that it's "closed source", even the version running on linux, so it wouldn't ever be updated beyond 6.2 (i don't know if the version numbers in linux are differ) Also, as time went on, in the Windows version they overhauled the scripting functionality, so upgrades couldn't using the scripts made in earlier versions, and a ton of other bad decisions which increasingly made it non-backwards-compatible. I'm worried there might have been similar incompatibilities between 5.1 and 6.x. You mentioned the legal field; I'm not totally sure, but I think WordPerfect would open text docs made with Wordstar for CP/M. At any rate, it opened formats that were very old, so even in the 2000s, in many legal offices, the would save a dedicated PC with WordPerfect to open these long outdated formats. I forget how it operated under Windows 3.1, I mostly used it on an Apple IIe!
I remember reading a review of WP6 for DOS in a local PC magazine when it was first released. The author did not like it because it had too much in common with a Windows program.
Probably didn't like the menus. And if you knew the keyboard macros (F-keys) then you could navigate very quickly around WordPerfect. I mentioned WP6 in this video, but I used WP4x in high school and WP5 at university .. but I moved to a shareware word processor called Galaxy after that because it was less expensive and easier to use (because of menus .. I didn't use WP every day, so I didn't know the F-keys very well).
I used this program all throughout high school, in the 1990 - 1993 era. I got carried away with using the thesaurus feature on one of my geography essays, and my teacher accused me of plagiarism because I was using so many "advanced words!" LOL. The notion of a high school student using a thesaurus, at all, let alone an electronic one that could be instantaneously brought up inside a word processor was a completely foreign concept to him at the time.
Very powerful program! Spendy, but very good. I also recommend 'Almost Perfect' (mentioned in the video) for an interesting "insider" story about WordPerfect.
WordPerfect 6.0 for DOS secures documents better than the modern cloud system. With the cloud system, every document is stored in a virtual bin; at a workplace that bin is accessible to every person connected to the same virtual machine network.
Wordperfect still seems better than word. I just started using it for the first time since the 90s (when I was a kid). Corel's latest versions are fast, light and very powerful and full of features I haven't seen in word. They need to update the user interface now to the ribbon interface and add more powerful graphics and desktop publishing capabilities like Adobe's applications. Then it could get back on people's radar screens.
What a throwback! When I entered the workforce in 1991 I became a word processor using Word Perfect 4.2 every day, all day. I could type 100 wpm including all the codes using that software and worked exclusively with reveal codes ON. I was so mad when I had to switch to Word years later and went from being keyboard shortcut based to mouse based. To this day I still use keyboard shortcuts for a lot of things instead of wasting time with the mouse.
Glad you liked it! And that keyboard template was a great way to exercise the F-keys on a keyboard.
I agree. I loved using Word Perfect. When I had to start using Word, I thought it was rubbish and I still think that today. It's a disaster in my view, but it still dominates the market.
The last DOS version of WordPerfect was 6.2. I have it as part of the Corel DOS suite.
I should have been more clear. WordPerfect 6.0 was the last version released by WordPerfect Corporation. I think 6.1 was released by Novell (after the buy-out) and 6.2 was released by Corel (after Corel bought it).
I’ve always enjoyed word processors, much like other people enjoy games or text editors. On Linux, I primarily use Wordgrinder and LibreOffice Writer, but when I need to write something important, I defer to either ClarisWorks for Macintosh or my favorite, WordPerfect for DOS. I actually use it more nowadays than I did when I was younger.
Although I mostly use WordPerfect 5.1, I recently tried WordPerfect 6.2 by Corel, which has a real-time TrueType WYSIWYG graphics mode, the best ever in DOS imho, and similar to the version in this video. Although 6.2 feels more modern than its predecessors, I think I’ll stick with WordPerfect 5.1, just for the familiarity and charm. I still want to try 6.0, which looks like a nice middle-ground.
There’s just something about classic DOS word processors that are conducive to good writing, at least for me. Thanks for the video, Jim. Your hard work is much appreciated. Cheers!
Thanks! Glad you like it!
I upgraded from 5.1 to 6.2 a couple of days ago, because 6.2 has bookmarks and quick-mark, and I need that for longer documents (creative writing). And you can tell 6.2 to use the 5.1 keyboard commands :) Also, I was able to find language files for Danish for 6.2, but not 5.1. Since I'm Danish, that's a selling argument. I lived and breathed WP 5.1 back in the day :)
@@JacobMoen WP 6.2 was good too. I ran WP60 because that was the last version released by WordPerfect Corporation - and I think was the last version of WP I used before I switched to Galaxy.
@@freedosproject I got WP5.1 cheap in 1996, I think, and really wouldn't have been able to afford something like 6.2 :) I am surprised how quickly I adapt to 6.2 - it's quite self documented compared to 5.1.
@@JacobMoen i like WP 5.1 but its command always made me think they were setup by a drunk. They really where not organized well.
Yep... I vaguely recall WordPerfect 5.1 for DOS was around $250. Indeed the WYSIWIG mode in 6.0 was noticeably slower -- on the 33MHz 486 PC that I was using it was nearly unusable in that mode, so I never bothered to upgrade to the 5.1 version. Indeed, one of the features I really liked about WordPerfect was the "reveal codes" mode -- which came in *very* useful in ironing out problems where the formatting goes wonky due to interaction between different formatting codes (and usually the "fix" was usually a matter of removing some extraneous formatting codes).
One of the things that irritated me (and still irritates me) is later versions of Word for Windows would "second guess" what you're doing and start replacing the formatting with what it assumes is what you meant to do (and more often than not, this guess is completely wrong). Worse yet is when it starts overriding or modifying the stylesheets (making it *very* difficult to keep the formatting of a document consistent).
Though not as convenient for novice users to use -- I liked WordPerfect as it didn't get in my way, nor did it irritate me by second-guessing my intent and making a mess of things by guessing wrong and making changes based on that wrong guess..
When "Clippy" first appeared, that's when Word added the "suggestions" feature. I was very surprised when I was updating a twenty page "how-to" document, and on page ten I wrote "To reboot the systems:" and when I hit Enter, Clippy appeared and asked if I was writing a letter!
@@freedosproject Found the Office XP advertising campaign especially amusing with Gilbert Gottfried as the voice of Clippy.
Nostalgic, My first text editor ✌️
I used this quite a bit until the upgrade became too expensive. Great word processor, though. And the classic one, too!
I rescued a Tandy 1000 TX that had Personal DeskMate 2, pfs: First Choice and WP 5.1! I made sure I archived them all.
We used Word Perfect 5.1 at college. Also Data Ease and Lotus 123 for databases and spreadsheets respectively.
WordPerfect and Lotus 1-2-3 were two programs that could almost guarantee you an office job in the 1980s and early 1990s. My summer jobs during my undergrad university years (early 1990s) were office jobs, often using WordPerfect or Lotus 1-2-3.
@@freedosproject they were great programs in their day, though migrating to the Microsoft Office Suite was a breath of fresh air.
It's been a few years since I've seen a modern version of WordPerfect, but I believe reveal codes is still there. That feature by itself really set WordPerfect apart from the other options, at least for me. I wish they kept the Linux version going.
That RevealCodes feature was really neat! So helpful to help you debug a document. And as others have commented, it provided a basis to learn HTML later (if you understand how RevealCodes worked, you could figure out HTML.)
@@freedosproject of course, the big problem is that it's "closed source", even the version running on linux, so it wouldn't ever be updated beyond 6.2 (i don't know if the version numbers in linux are differ) Also, as time went on, in the Windows version they overhauled the scripting functionality, so upgrades couldn't using the scripts made in earlier versions, and a ton of other bad decisions which increasingly made it non-backwards-compatible. I'm worried there might have been similar incompatibilities between 5.1 and 6.x.
You mentioned the legal field; I'm not totally sure, but I think WordPerfect would open text docs made with Wordstar for CP/M. At any rate, it opened formats that were very old, so even in the 2000s, in many legal offices, the would save a dedicated PC with WordPerfect to open these long outdated formats. I forget how it operated under Windows 3.1, I mostly used it on an Apple IIe!
I laughed out loud when I saw the shortcut for Block was Alt-F4. Sure, I'll just hit Alt-F4 in my unsaved document.
Yes, the days before Windows shortcuts were a thing. :-)
I remember reading a review of WP6 for DOS in a local PC magazine when it was first released. The author did not like it because it had too much in common with a Windows program.
Probably didn't like the menus. And if you knew the keyboard macros (F-keys) then you could navigate very quickly around WordPerfect. I mentioned WP6 in this video, but I used WP4x in high school and WP5 at university .. but I moved to a shareware word processor called Galaxy after that because it was less expensive and easier to use (because of menus .. I didn't use WP every day, so I didn't know the F-keys very well).
cool stuff :)
I used this program all throughout high school, in the 1990 - 1993 era. I got carried away with using the thesaurus feature on one of my geography essays, and my teacher accused me of plagiarism because I was using so many "advanced words!" LOL. The notion of a high school student using a thesaurus, at all, let alone an electronic one that could be instantaneously brought up inside a word processor was a completely foreign concept to him at the time.
Very powerful program! Spendy, but very good. I also recommend 'Almost Perfect' (mentioned in the video) for an interesting "insider" story about WordPerfect.
I'm a noob in DOS and am just playing around with FreeDOS out of curiosity. How does one install Word Perfect? I'm using FreeDOS in VirtualBox
For me, I copied the install floppy contents into a temporary directory on my C: drive, then installed from that.
Reveal codes was great for trying to fix a badly formatted doc. If only MS Word had that.
Apparently there's a consideration to add Reveal Codes to LibreOffice Writer, too
I have a hunch in december year 2021.
Someone may come up with a Linux-terminal with mouse-support and VI shortcuts that resembles wordperfect 6.0
I'd use it!
WordPerfect 6.0 for DOS secures documents better than the modern cloud system.
With the cloud system, every document is stored in a virtual bin; at a workplace that bin is accessible to every person connected to the same virtual machine network.
There are definitely pros and cons to cloud. I use cloud for some things, like collaboration. But I use local files for a lot of other things.
Wow, it seems really complicated now but I loved using it back in the day. It was far superior to Word which seems to be full of glitches
Glad it was helpful!
Wordperfect still seems better than word. I just started using it for the first time since the 90s (when I was a kid). Corel's latest versions are fast, light and very powerful and full of features I haven't seen in word.
They need to update the user interface now to the ribbon interface and add more powerful graphics and desktop publishing capabilities like Adobe's applications. Then it could get back on people's radar screens.
150 bucks was expensive but way less expensive than ChiWriter. It cost a whopping 233 percent more
Loved WordPerfect. Don’t like Word.
WordPerfect was pretty cool. I did another video about Word for DOS 5.5 (and thought that still feels very "modern").