WordStar

WordStar was a popular word processing application for microcomputers during the early to mid-1980s. Developed by MicroPro International, it gained widespread adoption due to its powerful features and relative ease of use compared to other word processors of the time. It ran primarily under the CP/M operating system, and later under MS-DOS.

WordStar was notable for its extensive use of keyboard commands, often using the Ctrl key in combination with other keys for a variety of formatting and editing actions. This allowed experienced users to perform tasks very quickly without needing to use a mouse or menus. Some of these key combinations became common conventions adopted by other applications.

Key features of WordStar included block copy/move/delete operations, search and replace functionality, mail merge capabilities, and rudimentary page layout options. It also offered a "dot command" system for controlling formatting and printing options.

While WordStar was a dominant force in the word processing market for several years, its market share declined in the late 1980s and early 1990s with the rise of graphical user interfaces and word processors like WordPerfect and Microsoft Word. Its reliance on keyboard commands and a less intuitive user interface became a disadvantage as computing shifted towards more visually-oriented and mouse-driven interaction paradigms. MicroPro eventually went bankrupt, and development of WordStar ceased. Despite its decline, WordStar left a significant mark on the history of word processing software.