WordStar is a word processor application, published by MicroPro International, originally written for the CP / M operating system but later ported to DOS, that enjoyed a dominant market share during the early-to mid-1980s.

Other add-on programs included SpellStar, a spell checker program, later incorporated as a direct part of the WordStar program ; and DataStar, a program whose purpose was specifically to expedite creating of the data files used for merge printing.

Installation of early versions of WordStar, especially for CP / M, was very different from the approach of modern programs.

DOS versions of WordStar at least had standardized the screen display, but still had to be customized for different printers.

WordStar version 3. x used the MS-DOS File control block ( FCB ) interface, an early data structure for file input / output which was based closely on CP / M's file input / output functions.

) WordStar 4. 0 does not have this problem because it uses the newer MS-DOS interface for input / output.

Although no current version of WordStar is available for modern operating systems, some former WordStar users still prefer WordStar's interface, especially the cursor diamond commands described earlier in this article.

The other WordStar emulation utility created was the WordStar Command Emulator for Microsoft Word, also known as " WordStar for Word ," by Mike Petrie.

Designed to work in conjunction with CtrlPlus, the Command Emulator adds many more WordStar commands to MS Word than CtrlPlus by itself, and also changes Word 97-XP's menus to be more like those of WordStar 7. 0 for DOS, the last DOS version of WordStar.

WordStar for Word also adds WordStar's block commands, namely Ctrl + KB to mark the beginning of a block, Ctrl + KK to mark the end, and Ctrl + KV to move it.

WordStar for Word works on all versions of Word from Word 97 through 2010.

The WordStar Command Emulator is written in Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications, a macro programming language based on Visual Basic built into Microsoft Word to allow for a high level of customization.

* DOS WordStar files by default have no extension ; some users adopted their own conventions, such as the letters WS followed by the version number ( for example, WS3 ), or just plain WS.

* WordStar for Windows files use the extension WSD

* WordStar for Windows templates use the extension WST

* WordStar for Windows macros use the extension WMC

WordStar 7 under Windows XP

Because FCB compatibility has not been maintained, WordStar 3. x will not function properly on modern versions of Windows.

One such program is CtrlPlus by Yoji Hagiya, which remaps the standard PC keyboard, making many WordStar commands available in most Windows programs.

* WordStar for Windows temporary files use the extension! WS

* There is no WordStar 2000 for Windows.

XOOM also released a version of WordStar for Windows 2. 0 called Xoom Word Pro.

Although Seymour I. Rubinstein was the principal owner of the company, Rob Barnaby was the sole author of the early versions of the program ; starting with WordStar 4. 0, the program was built on new code written principally by Peter Mierau.

WordStar was deliberately written to make as few assumptions about the underlying system as possible, allowing it to be easily ported across the many platforms that proliferated in the early 1980s.

MailMerge was an add-on program ( becoming integrated from WordStar 4 onwards ) which facilitated the merge printing of bulk mailings, such as business letters to clients.

A companion spreadsheet, CalcStar, was also produced using a somewhat WordStar-like interface ; collectively, WordStar ( word processing ), DataStar / ReportStar ( database management, a. k. a. InfoStar ), and CalcStar ( spreadsheet ) composed the first-ever office suite of personal computer programs.

Using WordStar in " Nondocument Mode " was essentially the same as using a traditional text editor, but with more advanced text editing features than found in some mainframe-based editors.

Researching, testing, and proving out such installations was a time-consuming and knowledge-intensive process, making WordStar installation and customization a staple discussion of CP / M users ' groups during that time.

An agreement was made with MicroPro to develop a version of WordStar that supported both English and Hebrew input.

WordStar, as developed by Elbit, was the first word processor that offered bi-directional input and mixed alphabets.

For several years Hebrew-English WordStar was the de facto WYSIWYG word processor leader until, inevitably, was ousted by younger competitors.

It was very similar to WordStar.

Compared to other word processors of the day such as Micropro WordStar 3. 3, WordPerfect 4. 2, and Microsoft Word 2. 0, Symphony's word processing environment was simple, but effective and uncomplicated.

For example, early WordStar files used or, where n was the program's version number.

The Kaypro II's market success was due to a number of factors: it had a larger screen than the Osborne ; it was a relatively inexpensive, simple to set up closed architecture system at a time when first-time computer buyers made up almost the entirety of the market ; it came bundled with popular third-party application software ( PerfectWriter and PerfectCalc, later to be replaced by MicroPro's WordStar and CalcStar ); and it was supported by a network of trained dealers.

It was also bundled with a number of software packages: WordStar, the popular word processing package ; SuperCalc, a spreadsheet ; MBASIC, a programming language ; Osboard, a graphics and drawing program ; TurnKey, a system utility ; MediaMaster, a data interchange program that allowed compatibility with over " 200 other computers "; and Desolation, a game.

He also wrote The Complete MCI Mail Handbook and programmed much of the Starfixer and UnderGround WordStar software packages.

MicroPro was weakening with old Wordstar products and still-new WordStar 2000 ; WordPerfect was having problems with the translation and the user interface ; and MS-Word was a decent but less polished or powerful product, and was also DOS and text-based.

Programs developed partially or entirely under his direction include WordStar, HelpDesk, Quattro Pro, and WebSleuth, among others.

* WordStar Resource Site — featuring a full ( as far as is known ) history of WordStar

Another is WordStar, the most popular word processor during much of the 1980s.