WPS-8
Encyclopedia
WPS-8 was the name of a Word Processing System
sold by Digital Equipment Corporation
for use with their PDP-8
processors (including the VT78, VT278 DECmate
, and PC238 DECmate II and PC24P DECmate III microcomputer systems).
WPS-8 supported a variety of 24 row by 80 or 132 column terminals including the VT52
family as well as the VT100
family and all subsequent ANSI-compatible terminals. A series of hierarchical menus allowed the user to command the system; the particular style of these menus became very-widely used by Digital, particularly within their "All-in-1" office system. Once a document was opened for editing, near WYSIWYG
editing was provided using a ruler
to indicate the text alignment and tab stops for any given portion of the text. A typical editing session might have looked like this:
Text conformed to the
preceding ruler (now offscreen).
----L----T-----------------------------T---------------------------------------------R----
Text conformed to the ruler shown just above
L -> Left margin
R -> Ragged-right margin
T -> Left-aligned tab
---------L----------------------------->---------------------.-----------------------J----
> -> Right-aligned tab
. -> Decimal-aligned tab
J -> Justified right margin (not justified on screen, only on printout)
Aligned with the right tab
Decimal-point aligned $5.99
1279.99
Using these various rulers, complex formatting could be achieved, even using a simple input device like a 24x80 character terminal. On ANSI terminals, character attributes such as bold and underline were shown on the screen. On the VT52 terminals (which could not display attributes), the operator could perform the same functions but only the printout would reveal the formatting.
As text was typed-in, the system automatically word-wrapped the text so that it conformed to the ruler currently in effect for that section of the document. Rulers could be added or modified and the text from that ruler forward to the next would automatically be adjusted to conform to the new ruler. Hyphenation could be semi-automatically performed (including "hidden" hyphens that would only be revealed if a line break exposed them).
Specialized editing functions were provided using the terminal keypad. A few functions could be commanded simply by pressing a keypad key, but a far wider range of functions could be commanded by prefixing them with the "Gold Key" (the PF1 key on the keypad, colored gold on systems equipped with the WPS-8 custom keycaps). This style of "gold key" editing also became endemic at Digital, later showing up in mainstream general-purpose text editor
s such as KED and EDT
as well as the before-mentioned "All-in-1" office system. The editing facilities included making a selection and then using cut and paste (much like today's word processors, but using keys marked for cut and paste, rather than a mouse).
Printing was to any of several different letter-quality daisy wheel printer
s including a DEC variant of the Diablo 630
.
WPS-8 normally ran from a single floppy diskette and user data could be stored on the system diskette or additional data-only diskettes. Up to four diskette drives were supported in a single system.
The system also supported the creation of data tables, the sorting of these data tables, arithmetic calculations using these data, and a mail-merge operation using these data and the arithmetic results. Through the extensive use of overlays
, it managed all that on a 12-bit
, 1.2-μs
processor with 16 KWords of memory and 256 KB of diskette storage. The limited resources of the system did not permit a spell-checker, though, primarily because there was no place with adequate storage to contain the dictionary
file.
Word processing
Word processing is the creation of documents using a word processor. It can also refer to advanced shorthand techniques, sometimes used in specialized contexts with a specially modified typewriter.-External links:...
sold by Digital Equipment Corporation
Digital Equipment Corporation
Digital Equipment Corporation was a major American company in the computer industry and a leading vendor of computer systems, software and peripherals from the 1960s to the 1990s...
for use with their PDP-8
PDP-8
The 12-bit PDP-8 was the first successful commercial minicomputer, produced by Digital Equipment Corporation in the 1960s. DEC introduced it on 22 March 1965, and sold more than 50,000 systems, the most of any computer up to that date. It was the first widely sold computer in the DEC PDP series of...
processors (including the VT78, VT278 DECmate
DECmate
DECmate was the name of a series of PDP-8-compatible computers produced by the Digital Equipment Corporation in the late 1970s and early 1980s. All of the models used an Intersil 6100 or Harris 6120 microprocessor which emulated the 12-bit DEC PDP-8 CPU...
, and PC238 DECmate II and PC24P DECmate III microcomputer systems).
WPS-8 supported a variety of 24 row by 80 or 132 column terminals including the VT52
VT52
The VT52 was a CRT-based computer terminal produced by Digital Equipment Corporation introduced in September, 1975 . It provided a screen of 24 rows and 80 columns of text and supported all 95 ASCII characters as well as 32 graphics characters. It supported asynchronous communication at baud rates...
family as well as the VT100
VT100
The VT100 is a video terminal that was made by Digital Equipment Corporation . Its detailed attributes became the de facto standard for terminal emulators.-History:...
family and all subsequent ANSI-compatible terminals. A series of hierarchical menus allowed the user to command the system; the particular style of these menus became very-widely used by Digital, particularly within their "All-in-1" office system. Once a document was opened for editing, near WYSIWYG
WYSIWYG
WYSIWYG is an acronym for What You See Is What You Get. The term is used in computing to describe a system in which content displayed onscreen during editing appears in a form closely corresponding to its appearance when printed or displayed as a finished product...
editing was provided using a ruler
Ruler
A ruler, sometimes called a rule or line gauge, is an instrument used in geometry, technical drawing, printing and engineering/building to measure distances and/or to rule straight lines...
to indicate the text alignment and tab stops for any given portion of the text. A typical editing session might have looked like this:
Text conformed to the
preceding ruler (now offscreen).
----L----T-----------------------------T---------------------------------------------R----
Text conformed to the ruler shown just above
L -> Left margin
R -> Ragged-right margin
T -> Left-aligned tab
---------L----------------------------->---------------------.-----------------------J----
> -> Right-aligned tab
. -> Decimal-aligned tab
J -> Justified right margin (not justified on screen, only on printout)
Aligned with the right tab
Decimal-point aligned $5.99
1279.99
Using these various rulers, complex formatting could be achieved, even using a simple input device like a 24x80 character terminal. On ANSI terminals, character attributes such as bold and underline were shown on the screen. On the VT52 terminals (which could not display attributes), the operator could perform the same functions but only the printout would reveal the formatting.
As text was typed-in, the system automatically word-wrapped the text so that it conformed to the ruler currently in effect for that section of the document. Rulers could be added or modified and the text from that ruler forward to the next would automatically be adjusted to conform to the new ruler. Hyphenation could be semi-automatically performed (including "hidden" hyphens that would only be revealed if a line break exposed them).
Specialized editing functions were provided using the terminal keypad. A few functions could be commanded simply by pressing a keypad key, but a far wider range of functions could be commanded by prefixing them with the "Gold Key" (the PF1 key on the keypad, colored gold on systems equipped with the WPS-8 custom keycaps). This style of "gold key" editing also became endemic at Digital, later showing up in mainstream general-purpose text editor
Text editor
A text editor is a type of program used for editing plain text files.Text editors are often provided with operating systems or software development packages, and can be used to change configuration files and programming language source code....
s such as KED and EDT
EDT text editor
There are at least two major text editors named EDT. One was made by Digital Equipment Corporation, the other by what was then Sperry Univac, which later became Unisys.-Digital:...
as well as the before-mentioned "All-in-1" office system. The editing facilities included making a selection and then using cut and paste (much like today's word processors, but using keys marked for cut and paste, rather than a mouse).
Printing was to any of several different letter-quality daisy wheel printer
Daisy wheel printer
Daisy wheel printers use an impact printing technology invented in 1969 by David S. Lee at Diablo Data Systems. It uses interchangeable pre-formed type elements, each with typically 96 glyphs, to generate high-quality output comparable to premium typewriters such as the IBM Selectric, but two to...
s including a DEC variant of the Diablo 630
Diablo 630
The Diablo 630 was a daisy wheel printer sold by the Diablo Data Systems division of the Xerox Corporation from 1980. The printer was capable of letter-quality printing; that is, its print quality was equivalent to the quality of an IBM Selectric typewriter, Selectric-based printer, or similar...
.
WPS-8 normally ran from a single floppy diskette and user data could be stored on the system diskette or additional data-only diskettes. Up to four diskette drives were supported in a single system.
The system also supported the creation of data tables, the sorting of these data tables, arithmetic calculations using these data, and a mail-merge operation using these data and the arithmetic results. Through the extensive use of overlays
Overlay (programming)
In a general computing sense, overlaying means "replacement of a block of stored instructions or data with another" Overlaying is a programming method that allows programs to be larger than the computer's main memory...
, it managed all that on a 12-bit
Bit
A bit is the basic unit of information in computing and telecommunications; it is the amount of information stored by a digital device or other physical system that exists in one of two possible distinct states...
, 1.2-μs
Second
The second is a unit of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units base unit of time. It may be measured using a clock....
processor with 16 KWords of memory and 256 KB of diskette storage. The limited resources of the system did not permit a spell-checker, though, primarily because there was no place with adequate storage to contain the dictionary
Dictionary
A dictionary is a collection of words in one or more specific languages, often listed alphabetically, with usage information, definitions, etymologies, phonetics, pronunciations, and other information; or a book of words in one language with their equivalents in another, also known as a lexicon...
file.