The Beloved Tool That Shaped Literary History
1996 Revisited
How WordStar became the writer's choice
Developed by Rob Barnaby for CP/M systems
Became the most popular word processor of the 1980s
Despite competition, writers remained fiercely loyal
George R.R. Martin still uses it for Game of Thrones
Features that made it indispensable
Every command at your fingertips—no mouse needed
Distraction-free writing environment
Block operations and search-and-replace ahead of its time
What You See Is Not What You Get—focused on content
Why WordStar still matters today
WordStar was written by programmers who used it themselves... It did what you wanted, the way you wanted it done.Robert J. Sawyer, Science Fiction Writer
The best tools disappear, letting the writer focus on what matters: the words