PC-Write

PC-Write is a modeless editor, using control characters and special function keys to perform various editing operations. By default it aaccepts many of the same control key commands as WordStar while adding many of its own features. It can produce plain ASCII text files, but there are also features that embedded control characters in a document to support automatic section renumbering, bold and italic fonts, and other such. A feature that is useful in list processing (as used in Auto LISP) is its ability to find matching open and closed parenthesis "( )"; this matching operation also worked for the other paired characters: { }, [ ] and < >.

Lines beginning with particular control characters n

and/or a period (.) contain commands that are evaluated when the document was printed, e.g. to specify margin sizes, select elite or pica type, or to specify the number of lines of text that would fit on a page,{{cite magazine | last = King | first = Steve | title = Bargain Shareware Has Power Of High-Priced Competition |magazine= InfoWorld | volume = 8 | issue = 51 | page =42 | date = December 22, 1986 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=UjwEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA44 | issn = 0199-6649}} such as in escape sequences.

PC-Write's implementation of free form editing can copy and paste a block of text anywhere. For instance, if one has a block of information, one per line, in the format Name (spaces) Address, one can highlight only the addresses section and paste that into the right-hand part of a page. Today, Emacs and jEdit are also capable of performing this function.

While Quicksoft distributed copies of PC-Write for $10, the company encouraged users to make copies of the program for others in an early example of shareware. Quicksoft asked those who liked PC-Write to send it $75. The sum provided a printed manual (notable for its many pictures of cats, drawn by Megan Dana-Wallace), telephone technical support, source code, and a registration number that the user entered into his copy of the program. If anyone else paid the company $75 to purchase an already-registered copy of the software, the company paid a $25 commission back to the original registrant, and then issued a new number to the new buyer, thereby giving a financial incentive for buyers to distribute and promote the software. {{r|InfoWorld Sep 1983}}{{r|shapiro198807}}

A configuration file allows customizing PC-Write, including remapping the keyboard. Later versions of the registered (paid for) version of the program include a thesaurus (which was not shareware) along with the editor. In addition, there is vocabulary available in other languages, such as in German. Utilities are provided to convert PC-Write files to and from other contemporary file formats. One limitation of the software is its inability to print directly from memory; because the print function was a separate subprogram, a document must be saved to a file before it can be printed.{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/stream/Whole_Earth_Software_Catalog_for_1986_1985_Point/Whole_Earth_Software_Catalog_for_1986_1985_Point_djvu.txt|title=Whole Earth Software Catalog|year=1989 |isbn=9780385233019 |last1=Brand |first1=Stewart |publisher=Quantum Press/Doubleday }}

PC-Write was reportedly still selling well in 1988.{{Cite magazine |last=Shapiro |first=Ezra |date=July 1988 |title=From Shareware to Hyperware |url=https://archive.org/details/byte-1988-07_202104/page/213/mode/1up?view=theater |access-date=2025-04-12 |magazine=Byte |pages=211-213}} Bob Wallace found that running Quicksoft used so much of his time he could not improve the PC-Write software. In early 1991, he sold the firm to another Microsoft alumnus, Leo Nikora, the original product manager for Windows 1.0 (1983–1985).{{cite news | last = Andrews | first = Paul | title = Software Company Is Sold | newspaper = The Seattle Times | date = January 23, 1991 | url = https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19910123/1262096/software-company-is-sold}} Leo Nikora purchases Quicksoft, Bob Wallace stays as lead programmer. Wallace returned to full programming and an updated version of PC-Write was released in June 1991.{{cite news | last = Andrews | first = Paul | title = Quicksoft Is Updating Shareware Pioneer PC-Write | newspaper = The Seattle Times | date = June 25, 1991 | url = https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19910625/1291033/quicksoft-is-updating-shareware-pioneer-pc-write}}

When the market changed to multi-program software (office suites combining word processing, spreadsheet, and database programs), Quicksoft went out of business in 1993.{{cite magazine | last = Johnston | first = Stuart | title = PC-Write publisher Quicksoft fails to find partner, closes |magazine= InfoWorld | volume = 15 | issue = 46 | page = 27 | date = November 15, 1993 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=DDsEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA27 | issn = 0199-6649}}{{cite news | last = Andrews | first = Paul | title = Software Firm Quicksoft Closes Doors -- Maker Of PC-Write Failed In Efforts To Find A Partner | newspaper = The Seattle Times | date = November 8, 1993 | url = https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19931108/1730657/software-firm-quicksoft-closes-doors----maker-of-pc-write-failed-in-efforts-to-find-a-partner}}

The first Trojan horse (appearing in 1986), PC-Write Trojan, masqueraded as "version 2.72" of the shareware word processor PC-Write. Quicksoft did not release a version 2.72.

PC-Write had one of the first "as you type", in "real-time mode" spell checker; earlier spell checkers only work in "batch mode".

Steve King.

[https://books.google.com/books?id=UjwEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA45 "Bargain Shareware Has Power Of High-Priced Competition"].

InfoWorld.

1986 Dec 22.

p. 44 - 45.

Charles Spezzano.

"Professional Word Processing Packages".

Section

[https://books.google.com/books?id=HDwEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA42 "PC-Write Version 2.71"].

InfoWorld.

1987 April 13.

p. 42.

The Brown Bag Word Processor

is based on

PC-Write's source code,

licensed by Brown Bag Software,

with some minor modifications.{{Cite magazine |last=Sagman |first=Stephen |date=1987-02-24 |title=Brown Bag Word Processor |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=phxlBt4dX3oC&pg=PA131 |access-date=2025-04-15 |magazine=PC Magazine |page=131}}

PC Magazine in 1984 stated that version 1.3 of "PC-Write rates extremely well and compares favorably with many word processors costing much more". It cited very fast performance, good use of color, and availability of source code as advantages, while lack of built-in support for printing bold or underline and keyboard macros was a disadvantage.{{r|pitt19840221}} In a 1987 review of low-cost word processors, the magazine approved of version 2.7 power and speed, stating that its features "compare well against even some of the best professional word processors". While another program with WYSIWYG and context-sensitive help might be better for a novice, PC said, PC-Write "may be the only word processor you'll ever need".{{Cite magazine |last=Sagman |first=Stephen |date=1987-02-24 |title=PC-Write |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=phxlBt4dX3oC&pg=PA131#v=onepage&q&f=true |access-date=2025-04-15 |magazine=PC Magazine |pages=154, 156}} The same article said of Brown Bag Word Processor that those who wanted a DOS shell, outliner, and other utilities should choose it over PC-Write, while those who did not should buy the otherwise-identical latter and save $40.{{r|bb}} Compute! complimented PC-Write's "clean implementation of standard editing features", cited its "truly staggering" level of customization, and after mentioning a few flaws stated that they should be "viewed in context of the program's overall excellence".{{cite news | url=https://archive.org/stream/1985-02-compute-magazine/Compute_Issue_057_1985_Feb#page/n83/mode/2up | title=PC-Write Word Processor For PC & PCjr | work=Compute! | date=January 1985 | accessdate=30 October 2013 | author=Leemon, Sheldon |page=82}}

• Andrew Fluegelman
• Jim Knopf, also known as Jim Button
• PC-File
• PC-Talk

{{Reflist|refs=

{{cite magazine | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UCIvSU6Y2GAC&pg=PA189 | title=Word Processing On The Honor System |magazine=PC Magazine | date=1984-02-21 | accessdate=24 October 2013 | author=Pitt, Joel |page=189}}

}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20100507091846/http://computersandcomposition.osu.edu/archives/v2/2_4_html/2_4_08_Waddell.html PC-WRITE: Quality Word Processing at a Price That's Hard to Beat] Review of PC-Write in COMPUTERS and COMPOSITION 2(4), August 1985, page 78.

{{Word processors}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pc-Write}}

Category:1983 software

Category:Shareware

Category:Word processors

Category:DOS text editors