WORD PROCESSING

operation by which written, verbal, or recorded information is transformed into typewritten or printed form. A word-processing system can produce a wide variety of documents, including letters, memoranda, and manuals, rapidly and at relatively low cost. It is so versatile that it can be employed by any type of business firm, government agency, or organization in which large volumes of written communications are issued. The precursor of the modern word-processing system was developed in 1936. This device consisted of a kind of automatic typewriter, called an autotypist, that could store and reproduce simple form letters and certain paragraphs of longer documents. The autotypist used punched paper tape for its storage medium. In 1964 researchers at International Business Machines (IBM) produced the Magnetic Tape/Selectric Typewriter, a relatively high-speed, automatic typewriter that had a magnetic tape data storage unit and retrieval device. This machine constituted the first true modern word processor. The development of electronic digital minicomputers and microcomputers during the late 1960s and 1970s gave rise to faster word-processing systems with greater capabilities. A typical advanced word-processing system consists of an automatic typewriter or high-speed printer that is linked to a computer that has an auxiliary storage unit. In many such systems the input terminal consists of an alphanumerical keyboard and a visual display composed of a cathode-ray tube (CRT). The CRT display enables the keyboard operator to input and also check, edit, or revise the information to be entered. The text of the document, including all corrections, additions, and deletions made by the keyboard operator, is recorded by the computer. When the final draft is ready to be prepared, the computer activates and operates the typewriter or printer, which produces as many copies of the document as required. The information can be stored for reuse in the auxiliary memory of the computer or on storage devices such as a magnetic disk. A word-processing system sharply reduces the time required to prepare documents. Some such systems are capable of typing or printing more than 350 words per minute. Moreover, changes can be made without having to retype an entire page as in manual operations.