| Developer(s) | Microsoft |
|---|---|
| Operating system | Microsoft Windows, Atari TOS, Mac OS |
| Type | Word processor |
| Website | Microsoft Windows |
Microsoft Write is a basic word processor that came with Microsoft Windows 1.0, Windows 2.0, and the Windows 3.x series. Throughout its lifespan it was minimally updated, and is comparable to early versions of MacWrite. Early versions of Write only worked with Write (.wri) files, but with the modernization of Microsoft Word for Windows in 1989, and the introduction of Windows 3.0 the following year, Write became capable of reading and composing early Word (.doc) documents. With Windows 3.1, Write became OLE capable.
Write is similar to the modern WordPad, which was introduced in Windows 95, and like WordPad, Write was more advanced than Notepad (though Notepad's simplicity is an intentional feature to make basic text operations faster and easier) and was considered a modern word processor. However, Write did not have the many features of software such as Microsoft Word. Despite this, Write had features which its successor WordPad lacks even in the Windows 7 incarnation of WordPad. One such feature is automatic pagination. Another such feature is the ability to format paragraphs in justified mode (where text is aligned to both the left and the right margins).
In Windows 95 and Windows XP onward, Windows Write simply executes WordPad.
In 1986, Atari announced an agreement with Microsoft to bring Microsoft Write to the Atari ST.[1]
Unlike the Windows version, Microsoft Write for the Atari ST was the Atari version of Microsoft Word 1.05 released for the Apple Macintosh while sharing the same name as the program included with Microsoft Windows during the 80s and early 90s.[2] While the program was announced in 1986, various delays caused the program to arrive in 1988.[3] The Atari version was a one time release and was never updated unlike the Windows versions which were updated minimally.
Microsoft Write for the Atari ST retailed at $129.95 and was one of two high profile PC applications that were released on the Atari platform (the other application was WordPerfect).
In October 1987 Microsoft released Microsoft Write for Macintosh. Write was a version of Microsoft Word with limited features that Microsoft hoped would replace aging MacWrite in the Macintosh word processor market. Write was priced at $175, compared to Word's $395 and MacWrite's $125 pricetags. Write is best described as Word locked in "Short Menus" mode, and as such it used the same file format so that users could exchange files with absolutely no conversion necessary.[4] Write did not sell well and was discontinued before the System 7 era.