The Evolution of Microsoft Word – History
Microsoft Word refers to an editable format that allows a user to edit the text by using a number of features. This application is word processing software released in 1983 as Multi-Tool Word. It was first released for Xenix Systems. It is a constituent of the Microsoft Office system. A user can also deploy the Word as an independent program. The latest versions are Word 2008 and 2010.
Microsoft Word underwent a long history to emerge the world’s finest computer application. The Word underwent revisions continuously to make its functionality efficient and competent. Add-ins is also available commercially to improve the functionality of the Microsoft Word.
The conceptualization of Word emanated from Bravo, which is the original Graphical User Interface writing word processor. With this idea, the development of Word began as Multi-Tool Word. The application was first released in 1983 under the name of Microsoft Word.
In 1985, Word introduced improved features and gained wide acceptance. In 1987, Word 3.0 introduced many advanced features and internal enhancements. It introduced Rich Text Format specification but was plagued with virus.
With the first version in 1989, Word 2.0 established its foothold as a market leader. In 1992, Word 5.1 was a widely used version due to its enhanced features and user-friendly interface.
Later versions of Word equipped the user with easy desktop publishing operations such as inserting images to the document. There are other attributes added to the application like multilingual support, translation, document comparison and collaboration over the years.
Word 2000 introduced a modification which was a clipboard holding multiple objects at a time. Word 2001 acquired a feature set of Word 2000. Word 2002 had similar features as the Word 2000. The new addition was an attribute called the ‘Task Panes’. These ‘Task Panes’ provided an easy and quick control over many features that were earlier available in modal dialog boxes. Another new facet of this version was the disabling of Office Assistant.
Information technology world introduced Word 2007 after many revisions and improvements. This release introduced many changes that include a new XML-based file format as well as a redesigned interface. It also utilized many other changes like a bibliographic management and an integrated equation editor. Word 2008 and 2010 introduced enhanced features like visual effects and much more.
