Word Processor

A word processor may be viewed as an electronic device or a computer application software that performs word processing: the composition, editing, formatting and sometimes printing of any sort of written material. Word processing can also refer to advanced shorthand techniques, sometimes used in specialized contexts with a specially modified typewriter.

Typical features of a word processor include:

•  font application,
•  spell checking,
•  grammar checking,
•  a built-in thesaurus,
•  automatic text correction,
•  Web integration and HTML exporting.

The word processor emerged as a stand-alone office machine in the 1970s and 1980s, combining the keyboard text-entry and printing functions of an electric typewriter with a dedicated computer processor for the editing of text.

 Although features and designs varied among manufacturers and models, and new features were added as technology advanced, word processors typically featured a monochrome display and the ability to save documents on memory cards or diskettes.

As the more versatile combination of personal computers and printers became commonplace, and computer software applications for word processing became popular, most business machine companies stopped manufacturing word processor machines.