WordStar: A Writer's Word Processor (1996)

By Robert J. Sawyer Hugo and Nebula Award Winner

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🖋️ The Enduring Appeal of WordStar

For those interested in acquiring the definitive version of the software—WordStar for DOS 7.0 Rev. D—along with the necessary plug-and-play MS-DOS emulators to run it on modern Windows systems, please visit the [WordStar 7.0 Archives].

Many wonder why a professional writer would cling to a DOS-based program well into the 21st century. The answer lies in the efficiency and reliability of the tool.

🌟 Industry Testimonials

The following authors have shared their experiences with the software:

Author	Perspective	Key Sentiment
Matthew Kirschenbaum	Author of Track Changes	Finds Sawyer's analysis "extremely insightful."
Michael Chabon	Author of Kavalier & Clay	Loved it "immoderately"; noted it never crashed was perfectly stable.
Edo van Belkom	Author of Scream Queen	Wrote 12 novels and hundreds of stories; prefers it over MS Word.
Arthur C. Clarke	Author of 2001: A Space Odyssey	Credits WordStar with making him a "born-again writer" after his 1978 retirement.
George R.R. Martin	Author of A Game of Thrones	Considers it his "secret weapon" that fulfills every requirement.
Anne Rice	Author of Interview with the Vampire	Describes it as "magnificent" and calls MS Word "pure madness."

"I am happy to greet the geniuses [Rob Barnaby and Seymour Rubinstein]... I now have six books in the works and two [probables], all through WordStar." — Arthur C. Clarke

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🚀 The Creative's Choice

A significant cohort of science-fiction novelists continues to rely on WordStar for DOS. This group includes:

• Robert J. Sawyer
• Roger MacBride Allen
• Gerald Brandt
• Jeffrey A. Green
• James Gunn
• Matthew Hughes
• Donald Kingsbury
• Eric Kotani
• Paul Levinson
• George R. Martin
• Vonda McIntyre
• Kit Reed
• Jennifer Roberson
• Edo van Belkom

Despite this success, we often face mindless criticism skepticism, primarily from users of WordPerfect who have never explored alternatives. Having utilized a vast array of software—including MultiMate, Sprint, XyWrite, Word, and WordPerfect—I maintain that WordStar is the superior choice for the act of creative composition.

📋 Writer's Requirements Checklist

• Absolute Stability
• Minimal Distraction
• High-speed Input
• Ergonomic Command Structure

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⌨️ An Interface Built for Touch Typists

To appreciate WordStar, one must understand its origins. Released in 1978, it predated the era of standardized keyboards. In those days, you couldn't rely on:

1. Arrow keys
2. Function keys
3. Tab, Insert, Delete, Backspace, or Enter keys

The only constant was the QWERTY layout and the Control key. When the Ctrl key is held, the keyboard sends a command instead of a character. These are written as ^A through ^Z.

🛠️ The Command Architecture

Designers Seymour Rubinstein and Rob Barnaby created five primary "prefix" codes to access menus:

• ^O $\rightarrow$ On-screen functions
• ^Q $\rightarrow$ Quick cursor movements
• ^P $\rightarrow$ Print functions
• ^K $\rightarrow$ Block and file operations
• ^J $\rightarrow$ Help system

The choice of ^J and ^K was not random. For a touch typist, the strongest fingers of the right hand naturally rest upon these keys on the home row.

💎 The Cursor Diamond

WordStar replaced the need for arrow keys with a positional "diamond" layout under the left hand:

This logic extends to other movement commands clustered around the diamond:

• Word-by-Word: ^A (Left) and ^F (Right)
• Line-by-Line: ^W (Up) and ^Z (Down)
• Page-by-Page: ^R (Up) and ^C (Down)

The Power of the ^Q Prefix

The ^Q (Quick) command modifies the diamond to move the cursor across larger distances:

Standard Move    --->    Quick Move
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^E (Up)          --->    ^QE (Top of Screen)
^S (Left)        --->    ^QS (Left of Screen)
^D (Right)       --->    ^QD (Right of Screen)
^X (Down)        --->    ^QX (Bottom of Screen)
^R (Page Up)     --->    ^QR (Top of Document)
^C (Page Down)   --->    ^QC (Bottom of Document)

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📈 Legacy and Influence

The efficiency of this system is based on the mathematical principle of minimizing hand movement: $\text{Efficiency} \propto \frac{1}{\text{Distance from Home Row}}$

Because touch typists can execute these commands without searching for distant keys, the WordStar interface became a gold standard. Its influence can be seen in numerous other applications, such as:

• dBase
• SuperCalc
• SideKick
• Xtree Pro
• Joe's Own Editor
• VDE
• The MS-DOS 5.0+ built-in editor

Figure 1: Conceptual layout of the WordStar home-row efficiency.

While modern keyboards have dedicated keys for these functions, the Ctrl commands remain faster for those who have mastered them.