January 11, 2020. Microsoft Word is a word processor developed by Microsoft. MS Word was first released on under the name Multi-Tool Word for Xenix systems. Subsequent versions were later written for several other platforms including IBM PCs running DOS (1983), Apple Macintosh running the Classic Mac OS (1985), AT&T Unix PC (1985), Atari ST (1988), OS/2 (1989), Microsoft Windows (1989), SCO Unix (1994), and macOS (formerly OS X; 2001). CNET Download provides free downloads for Windows, Mac, iOS and Android devices across all categories of software and apps, including security, utilities, games, video and browsers.
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Microsoft Works was an integrated all-in-one office suite available for the Macintosh, DOS, and Windows. It includes a word processor, spreadsheet, database, and communications program. These were smaller, scaled down, programs compared to Microsoft's other office products. It was sold as a lower cost suite targeted at home users.
Microsoft Works competed against integrated office suites such as Lotus Jazz, FrameWork, AlphaWorks/LotusWorks, PFS First Choice, and many others.
Before running out to buy Microsoft Word (or another industrial-strength and expensive) word processing program for your Mac, remember that Apple includes a respectable word processor with OS X. The program is TextEdit, and it call s the Applications folder home. Microsoft Works 2.0 (Mac abandonware from 1988) To date, Macintosh Repository served 1243341 old Mac files, totaling more than 236195.8GB! 2.x (Mac) Microsoft Works was a scaled-down Word Processor, Spreadsheet, and Database bundle geared towards the home user. It was released in variants for early DOS, Windows, and Macintosh. Microsoft Works competed against FrameWork, AlphaWorks/LotusWorks, PFS First Choice, and many others. Works was a completely different product from, and even competed against Microsoft Office.
Microsoft Works started development as 'Mouseworks' from 'Productivity Software'. There is an interesting article about it in the May 27, 1985 InfoWorld
I'm not aware that there were any releases under the Mouseworks name. It seems it was acquired by Microsoft shortly before release. And from the sound of it, primarily to compete against Lotus Jazz on the Apple Macintosh.
I'm not aware that there were any releases under the Mouseworks name. It seems it was acquired by Microsoft shortly before release. And from the sound of it, primarily to compete against Lotus Jazz on the Apple Macintosh.
The first release was in 1986 for the Macintosh.
One very interesting thing about it is that some bits were written by the same person who wrote AppleWorks for the Apple II. In some indirect ways, Microsoft Works on the Mac does feel a little like the old Apple II AppleWorks. Perhaps even more so than ClarisWorks , that Apple later officially re branded as 'AppleWorks' on the Mac.
Oddly, Wikipedia says that the first version of Microsoft Works for Mac was 2.0, but that is not correct. There was a '1.0' disk set on eBay a while back, and Winworld now has 1986 manual scans although not disk dumps. The manual and registration card clearly call it '1.0'
Wanted: 1.0 for Mac disk dumps.
Another interesting thing is that earlier Microsoft Works 1.0 for Macintosh disks were apparently copy protected. The 1.0 manual set we have has a leaflet stating that the disks that would have been with it had dropped the copy protection.
This means the earliest 1.0 Mac disks must be dumped with a Kryoflux or SuperCard Pro. Windows media player for mac sierra.
The thing that always boggled my mind about Microsoft Works is that it had nothing at all in common with Microsoft Office, and even competed against it. Some much later Microsoft Works versions bundled Microsoft Word to make up for the word processor's incompatibilities and shortcomings.
In the ~1986 period when it was first released, small, inexpensive, integrated office suites were hot topics. Microsoft did not have any office products for Windows yet. Word and Excel on the Mac were brand new. MS-DOS was stuck with a text-based Microsoft Word and Multiplan. They didn't really even have a database unless you count Microsoft File. Microsoft office 2019 home and student for mac.
![Works Works](https://cdn.educba.com/academy/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/image-1.jpg)
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Even though it competed against Word and Excel on the Mac, at the time it made some sense to have a direct competitor to these all-in-one suites.
It made a bit more sense when Microsoft, about a year later, released a port for MS-DOS. DOS was still stuck with a text-mode Microsoft Word and Multiplan. Microsoft Works 1.0 for DOS was sold as a lightweight product suitable for laptops, and sometimes bundled with OEM hardware.
Finally, in 1991, Microsoft released a version of Microsoft Works for Microsoft Windows 3.0. It appears the first Works for Windows release was labeled '2.0' to match DOS and Mac releases.
Works was later ported to 32-bit Windows 95/NT and continued to be sold as a lower end office suite. But frustration with the product increased as people began to depend more on Microsoft Office document compatibility.
The last version of Works for DOS appears to be 3.0b, and the last version for the Macintosh appears to be 4.0.
Microsoft Works for Windows was discontinued in 2007, with the final version being 9.0. Coincidentally, the revived (Claris) AppleWorks for Mac was discontinued the same year.
Microsoft Word 2016 is one of the most reliable, powerful, and feature rich word processors around, and while it's since been replaced by Word 2019, it still offers most of the functionality modern professionals need. For most people, Word needs no introduction. It's been a reliable standard on the Windows operating system for decades, and it's regarded by many as the benchmark by which all other word processing platforms are judged. But as free and cheap competitors came to the market, Word was starting to lag behind in terms of relevance. Fortunately, the 2016 is a return to form, bringing with it some smart updates and features that make it worth checking out by lapsed customers.
But just because Word has seen a significant update doesn't mean that veteran users will have to learn a new interface. In practical everyday terms, this is the same old Word. The menus and navigation interface are functionally the same, and you can expect to be able to find functions exactly where you remember them to be and rely on the old trusted keyboard shortcuts that have been a part of the product for years. But learning how to more efficiently use the platform is easier than ever before. A new search tool gives users the ability to quickly look up all the available commands. There's also improved protections built in to avoid data loss.
The ribbon was a controversial addition to the Office interface when it was first introduced, but it's since become a hallmark of the Word experience, and it works as well as ever. By condensing the most common tools that you're likely to use in a small but accessible menu bar, the ribbon gives more real estate to the document you're writing while allowing you to reach a variety of tools without having to dig deeply into menus.
But the big changes are reserved for collaboration. Word has always worked best as part of the largest Microsoft Office ecosystem, but Word 2016 brings this to a whole new level. Integration with the various components of the Office suite are tighter than everything before, and a major shift towards cloud based sharing has changed the way that professionals can use Word in some pretty major ways. Through the use of OneDrive, users can quickly share their Word documents with anyone they've given the proper privileges. But that's not the only way you can share files. Through integration with Outlook, you can attach a document via email and allow your recipients to go in and edit it at their discretion. An additional commenting feature allows you to mark up documents without changing their basic content. In short, Microsoft has paired Word with the sorts of functionality available through their Google cloud suite. Combine that with the polished and refined features at the heart of Word, and you have one of the finest word processing applications around.
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Pros:
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- Builds off the framework of one of the strongest word processors on the market
- Brings a whole wealth of new sharing and collaboration options
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Cons:
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- More expensive than many of its competitors
- Outdated since the release of Word 2019