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EasyWriter was the first word processor for the Apple II.<ref name='wsj'>Template:Cite news</ref> It was written by John Draper and released in 1979.
HistoryEdit
Published by Information Unlimited Software (IUS),Template:R it was written by John Draper's Cap'n Software, which also produced a version of Forth, which EasyWriter was developed in.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Draper developed EasyWriter while serving nights in the Alameda County Jail under a work furlough program.<ref name='wsj'/><ref name='nyt'/>
It was later ported to the IBM PC and released with the new computer in August 1981<ref name='nyt'>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="magid20010809">Template:Cite news</ref> as a launch title. Many criticized EasyWriter 1.0, distributed by IBM, for being buggy and hard to use;Template:R PC Magazine told the company as early as December 1981 that subscribers "wish IBM had provided better word processing".<ref name="bunnell19820405">Template:Cite news</ref> The company quickly persuaded IUS to develop a new version. (When founder William Baker later sent "I Survived EasyWriter" T-shirts, IBM returned them stating that it did not accept gifts.)<ref name="rosenberg19840424">Template:Cite news</ref> IBM offered a free upgrade to version 1.10 to version 1.0 owners,Template:R but EasyWriter's poor quality had caused others to quickly provide alternatives, such as Camilo Wilson's Volkswriter.Template:R<ref name="vangelder198309">Template:Cite news</ref>
IUS released a separate application, EasyWriter II. Completely rewritten by Basic Software Group,Template:R IUS described it as a more "professional" word processor.Template:R The company emphasized that II—developed with C instead of Forth—"is not an updated version of the original IBM selection or its upgrade".<ref name="freibergerius19820823">Template:Cite news</ref>
ReceptionEdit
BYTE in 1981 reviewed EasyWriter and EasyWriter Professional for the Apple II, stating that "editing is a pleasure with either version", and approving of their features, user interface, and documentation.<ref name="byte198106">Template:Cite magazine</ref> In an early review of the IBM PC, however, the magazine in 1982 stated that EasyWriter for it or the Apple II "didn't seem to be of the same caliber as, say, VisiCalc or the Peachtree business packages", citing the lack of ease of use and slow scrolling as flaws, and advised those who planned to use the IBM PC primarily for word processing to buy another computer until alternative software became available.<ref name="williams198201">Template:Cite news</ref> Andrew Fluegelman wrote in PC Magazine that year that although EasyWriter 1.0 appeared to be an easy-to-use word processor for casual users, it "contains a few very annoying inconveniences and some very serious traps". He cited several bugs, slow performance, and user-interface issues,<ref name="fluegelman19820203">Template:Cite news</ref> and later called it "pretty much a lemon".<ref name="fluegelman198211">Template:Cite news</ref> Fluegelman said in 1985 that the review had become notorious, as he was a novice computer user and "no one knew who I was, I didn't know anybody, I just took this program and I said 'This is terrible'", but "it deserved panning".<ref name="microtimes198505">Template:Cite magazine</ref>
IBM's Don Estridge admitted in 1983 that he "tried to use EasyWriter 1.0 and had the same experience everybody else had".<ref name="byte198311">Template:Cite news</ref> EasyWriter 1.10 resolved most of Fluegelman's complaints. He reported that it "performs smoothly, will handle most any routine writing and printing job, and is easy to learn and operate", and that if IBM had released 1.10 first EasyWriter would likely have become the standard PC word processor.<ref name="fluegelman198208">Template:Cite news</ref>
BYTE criticized EasyWriter II for running as a booter instead of using DOS, requiring specially formatted disks for storage and a utility to convert to DOS-formatted disks, not being compatible with double-sided drives, and using a heavily modal editing interface.<ref name="shuford198305">Template:Cite news</ref>