IBM DisplayWrite
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| IBM DisplayWrite | |
|---|---|
 IBM DisplayWrite/370 (German) | |
| Initial release | 1981 |
| Repository |
|
| Engine | |
| Operating system | PC DOS/MS-DOS, MVS-CICS, VM/CMS, OS/400 |
| Type | Word processor |
| License | commercial |
DisplayWrite (sometimes written as Displaywrite) is a discontinued word processor program that IBM developed and marketed for the IBM PC and PCjr. It was among the company's first internally developed, commercially sold PC software titles.[1]
DisplayWrite's feature set was based on the IBM Displaywriter System, a dedicated microcomputer-based word processing machine.[2] Because the two systems were so similar, an experienced Displaywriter user could start using DisplayWrite immediately.[3]
Versions
[edit | edit source]DisplayWrite/PC
[edit | edit source]For the Intel platform there were DisplayWrite versions for PC/MS-DOS and DisplayWrite 5/2 programmed under OS/2.[4]
DisplayWrite/36
[edit | edit source]DisplayWrite/36 was the word processing component of IBM Office/36, which allowed an office to use the SQL-based database file for labels and form letters.
DisplayWrite/370
[edit | edit source]DisplayWrite/370, a much more powerful version with full graphics and WYSIWYG support, was supported for IBM zSeries mainframe computers until May 2015.[5] (see IBM Displaywriter System). DW/370 was a host-based word processor.[6] It was marketed between 1993 and 2015 for MVS/CICS[5] (now z/OS) and VM/CMS.[7]
File format
[edit | edit source]IBM DisplayWrite's native file format is based on IBM's DCA (Document Content Architecture) RFT (Revisable Form Text) specification, but adds additional structures. Depending on the DisplayWrite version, the document files use .DOC or .TXT file name extension. The DisplayWrite software can export to and import from pure DCA/RFT files (which typically have .DCA or .RFT file name extension). RFT (IBM Revisable Form Text) should not be confused with RTF (Rich Text Format), which is a Microsoft specification.
Reception
[edit | edit source]As of 1987[update] DisplayWrite was the only successful IBM software product for the PC.[8] A 1990 American Institute of Certified Public Accountants member survey found that 2% of respondents used DisplayWrite as their word processor.[9]
Further reading
[edit | edit source]- Dennis P. Curtin: Displaywrite 4: Procedures Manual, Prentice-Hall 1988, Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ IBM DisplayWrite
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ a b Software lifecycle DisplayWrite/370 for MVS/CICS 2.2.x
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).