Code named “Bill the Cat”, Microsoft Word for Windows 1.1 was an early version of the popular word processing software, released in 1990. This version was designed to run on Windows 2.x and later versions, with specific enhancements for Windows 3.01.
Acquisition
Acquisition Method
EBay
Date
Aug 12, 2024
General Notes
Note
Key Features:
WYSIWYG Interface: Word for Windows 1.1 provided a “What You See Is What You Get” (WYSIWYG) interface, allowing users to see how their documents would look when printed
Mouse Support: It included support for mouse input, which was a significant improvement over text-based word processors1.
Fonts and Formatting: Users could choose from various fonts and apply different formatting options, such as bold, italics, and underline
Graphics and Tables: The software allowed the insertion of graphics and tables, making it more versatile for creating complex documents
Historical Context:
Competition: At the time, Word for Windows competed with other word processors like WordPerfect and Ami Pro. Despite being a late entrant to the Windows platform, it quickly gained popularity due to its user-friendly interface and integration with other Microsoft products
Legacy: This version laid the groundwork for future iterations of Microsoft Word, which would go on to become the dominant word processing software in the market
Availability
Source Code: The source code for Microsoft Word for Windows 1.1a has been made available by the Computer History Museum, providing a valuable resource for those interested in the history of software development
Note
First version 1.0 code named “Opus” was released in 1989
