Lynn GreinerApr 29, 2023
Charlie Stross
Even though I was barely ever a WordStar user, the existence of WordTsar—a cross-platform open source WordStar 7 clone for Windows, Mac, and Linux—makes me happy: http://wordtsar.ca/
Apr 28, 2023 at 4:17pmWeb
Show threadmjApr 28, 2023
@cstross the only thing I remember about WordStar is a classmate of mine getting really mad that we were using WordPerfect (pre-GUI, natch) in our computer class instead of WordStar because it was so much better.
Show threadMutantfrogApr 28, 2023
@scarfwitch @cstross where's my Wordperfect 5.1 retroclone?
Show threadKarl Sigler (he/him)Apr 28, 2023
@cstross ha. I used WordStar through the late '80s and early '90s. So many term papers running Wordstar from a 5.25" floppy in drive A: and saving files to the 5.25" floppy in drive B:
Show threadStewart RussellApr 28, 2023

@cstross it also seems able to recover / convert some quite early WordStar documents.

LibreOffice had (has?) support for a whole bunch of legacy formats but WordStar was never one of them.

Show threadsolipsistnationApr 28, 2023
@cstross There's also the joe text editor ("Joe's Own Editor"), which uses Wordstar editing commands pretty much because Joe liked Wordstar.
Show threadzbleskApr 28, 2023
@cstross have you tried and liked it, or did you mean you appreciate the name? (Because if the latter - same here. I'll definitely be checking it out because of that. 😁)
Show threadCharlie StrossApr 28, 2023
@zblesk I used Wordstar 3.2 for a while, on a variant MS-DOS (not-PC-compatible) machine. But I preferred multi-document word processors and switched to Borland Sprint as fast as possible.
Show threadDan McDonaldApr 28, 2023
@cstross
Bring back AtariWriter! 😊
Show threadMichaela SueApr 28, 2023
@cstross Wow! I haven't even thought about WordStar since CP/M days in the 80s!
Show threadJoe Cooper 🇺🇦 🍉Apr 28, 2023
@cstross if it's good enough for GRR Martin, it's good enough for me. Though he uses WordStar 4, specifically. I guess maybe it got too fancy and complicated after that.
Show threadDaniel has movedApr 28, 2023
@cstross Please tell me there’s a WordPrefect!
Show threadAllen HolubApr 28, 2023
@tastapod @cstross
I'm more of an EggsSell person, myself.
Show threadOrjanApr 28, 2023
@cstross Was never a WordStar user, but the Borland and TopSpeed code editors used the WordStar keyboard shortcuts.
Show threadSteveApr 28, 2023
@cstross I used Wordstar on CP/M and possibly on DOS too. Ah, the days when you could operate from a couple of 5.25" floppies.
Show threadColin MacleodApr 28, 2023
@cstross For a few years in the 1980s, Wordstar in non-document mode was the editor I could operate in my sleep. ⌨😎
Show threadLucyKemnitzerApr 28, 2023
@cstross I used WordStar for a while until it went nuts and corrupted every single file I had by changing the final letter of every word to a gibberish high-ascii character. Fun times.
Show threadpoetasterApr 28, 2023
@cstross wordstar, kaypro. Wrote a lot of poems.
Show threadpoetasterApr 28, 2023
I still have the files.
Show threadMark EichinApr 28, 2023
@cstross
Ooh. I wrote a split screen plug in for the CP/M version (gave you a readonly "window" on a second document, by subverting the "support weird terminals" interface :) unpublished as far as I know though.
Show threadMeow.tar.gz  Jun 2, 2023
@cstross I'm old enough to remember WordStar on CP/M.
Show threadCharlie StrossJun 2, 2023
@ablackcatstail Me too, but I vastly preferred Protext.