Like most everything in this world, the preparation of documents is constantly being advanced. Each passing year, there are new possibilities and new functions made in the method of word processing. By offering the user editing, printing, and formatting options, the creation of a professional document has never been easier. The manipulation of text has made vast enhancements since the days of rocks, hammers, and chisels.
Among the most common capabilities of a basic word processing is a ‘spell check’ feature. No matter how many spelling bees you’ve won, you are not immune to typos. The purpose of spell-check is to ensure that you catch your spelling errors before they meet paper. Why is this important? During the days of typewriters and pens, one spelling mistake made the entire document useless and forced the creator to start from scratch. Equally useful is the ‘grammar check’, though it is harder to rely on, considering the innumerable rules in language.
In the 1970’s, early word processors used magnetic tape cassettes to give the creator the means of revision and editing necessary for efficiency. It was widely believed that this new development would revolutionize the careers of writers, secretaries, editors, and anyone else that required document preparation. Though this gossip was widely seen as ‘tags’ made by the industry to reinforce support for their product, many found the new equipment to be extremely useful.
Unlike many technological developments, word processing came not from the wants of mathematicians and scientists, but from the needs of writers. There was a time when editing, typed print, and production of documents was a monotonously lengthy process. It was because of this fact that people tried to refine the procedure. Rock carvings, papyrus paper, Egyptian inscriptions, ink & parchment, pencil & paper, and the typewriter; all examples of our progress.
The invention of the floppy disk proved most beneficial to document creation. Until IBM developed the floppy disk, memory cards could hold about a page or two worth of information. Needless to say, editing was extremely tedious due to constant card changes. The floppy disk could save from eighty to a hundred pages of work, eliminating the need to change memory receptacles for each page.
Hardware, software. What’s the difference when it comes to word processing? The idea of an application existing for the sole purpose of word processing would not be commercial without the change to software. Originally, computerized word processors were bulky, expensive and extremely difficult to update. The shift from word processing being created as hardware gave developers a more economical way of providing the necessary programs to their consumers.
Some call pens and paper archaic. Others claim that computer text is phony as it betrays its roots. Which is true? Most likely it will be sometime before this debate is settled. There are those that oppose innovations in the field of word processing because it makes it easier for people to lie, cheat, and scam others. Like with any other technological advancement, it is not the tools that people must be concerned with, it is the people who use them.
Information Source- Stephen Glover, Computer Professor at MCHS in Memphis, TN.
