(Through 1986)
by Brian Kunde
Scrivener ( iPhone + iPad )- If you're searching for the fully-functional and complete word processing. The best free word processor will provide you with a simple and easy way to create familiar documents, without having to purchase a licence or subscription to use it.
Note: This paper was written in December, 1986 for a CIS 50 - Sec. 61 class at Foothill College, Los Altos Hills, California. It reflects the industry situation of that time, and should not be used either as a guide to current industry standards or to the present state of the art.
Contents:
[Text] [Appendix A] [Appendix B] [Notes] [Bibliography]Text:
[Next] [Contents] Word processing did not develop out of computer technology. It evolved from the needs of writers rather than those of mathemeticians, only later merging with the computer field.1 The history of word processing is the story of the gradual automation of the physical aspects of writing and editing, and the refinement of the technology to make it available to individual and corporate users.
The invention of printing and moveable type at the end of the Middle Ages2 was the initial step in this automation. But the first major advance from manual writing as far as the individual was concerned was the typewriter. Henry Mill, an English engineer of the early eighteenth century, is credited with its invention. The fact that almost nothing is known about his early version today is evidence of its lack of success.3
Christopher Latham Sholes, with the assistance of two colleagues, invented the first successful manual typewriter in 1867. It began to be marketed commercially in 1874, rather improbably by a gun manufacturing company, E. Remington and Sons.4 The main drawback of this model was that it printed on the underside of the roller, so that the typist could not view his work until he had finished.5
Acceptance of the typewriter was slow at first, but was facilitated over the next several years by various improvements. These included: the shift key, which made it possible to type both capital and lower-case letters with the same keys (1878); printing on the upper side of the roller (1880); and the tab key, permitting the setting of margins (1897).6
Eventually, at first in the corporate sector, the typewriter began to catch on. Businesses, which had hitherto had their records and correspondence written and copied by hand, found their paperwork could be done more quickly and legibly on the typewriter.7 Typewriting was put within the reach of individuals by the development of portable models, first marketed in the early 1900s.8
Thomas Edison patented an electric typewriter in 1872, but the first workable model was not introduced until the 1920s. In the 1930s IBM introduced a more refined version, the IBM Electromatic.9 It 'greatly increased typing speeds and quickly gained wide acceptance in the business community.'10
This was soon followed by the M. Shultz Company's introduction of the automatic or repetitive typewriter, perhaps the greatest step from the typewriter towards modern word processing. The Shultz machine's main innovation was automatic storage of information for later retrieval. It was a sort of 'player typewriter,' punch-coding text onto paper rolls similar to those used in player pianos, which could later be used to activate the keys of the typewriter in the same order as the initial typing. 11 With the automatic typewriter, it was possible to produce multiple typed copies of form letters identical in appearance to the hand-typed original, without the intermediary of carbons, photocopiers or typesetting.
The bulky paper roll machine was succeeded by a device called the Flexowriter, which used paper tape. This had a key that allowed the deletion of mistakes from the tape and copies by punching a 'non-print' code over the code for the character erroniously typed. Long passages of text could be deleted or moved by literally cutting the tape and pasting it back together.12
In 1961 IBM introduced the Selectric typewriter, which replaced the standard movable carriage and individual typestrikers with a revolving typeball (often refered to as a 'golfball' or 'walnut'). This could print faster than the traditional typewriter.13.
In 1964 IBM brought out the MT/ST (Magnetic Tape/Selectric Typewriter), which combined the features of the Selectric with a magnetic tape drive. Magnetic tape was the first reusable storage medium for typed information.14 With this, for the first time, typed material could be edited without having to retype the whole text or chop up a coded copy. On the tape, information could be stored, replayed (that is, retyped automatically from the stored information), corrected, reprinted as many times as needed, and then erased and reused for other projects. This development marked the beginning of word processing as it is known today.15
It also introduced word processing as a definite idea and concept. The term was first used in IBM's marketing of the MT/ST as a 'word processing' machine.16. It was a translation of the German word textverabeitung, coined in the late 1950s by Ulrich Steinhilper, an IBM engineer. He used it as a more precise term for what was done by the act of typing.17 IBM redefined it 'to describe electronic ways of handling a standard set of office activities — composing, revising, printing, and filing written documents.'18
Since the invention of the MT/ST, advances in technology have made word processing systems less expensive to produce, leading to intensified competition among developers and an increase in the development rate of new packages.19
In 1969 IBM introduced MagCards, magnetic cards that were slipped into a box attached to the typewriter and recorded text as it was typed on paper. The cards could then be used to recall and reprint text. These were useful mostly to companies which sent out large numbers of form letters. However, only about one page-worth of text could be stored on each card.20
In 1972 Lexitron and Linolex developed a similar word processing system, but included video display screens and tape cassettes for storage. With the screen, text could be entered and corrected without having to produce a hard copy. Printing could be delayed until the writer was satisfied with the material.21
The floppy disk marked a new stage in the evolution of storage media. Developed by IBM in the early 1970s for use in data processing (that is, traditional number computation), it was soon adopted by the word processing industry.22 Vydec, in 1973, seems to have been the first manufacturer to produce a word processing system using floppy disks for storage. Previous storage media could only hold one or two pages of text, but the early disks were capable of holding 80 to 100 pages. This increased storage capacity permitted the creation and easy editing of multipage documents without the necessity of changing storage receptacles.23
Floppy disks could also be used to hold programs. The most important advance in word processing was the change from 'hard wired' instructions built into the machinery to software on disks. When the programs were part of the equipment they were difficult to change and expensive to upgrade. Programs on disks could be updated more economically, since a rewritten program could be loaded into and used with the same hardware as the old one.24
Before disk programs most word processing packages were 'dedicated' systems, which were bulky and expensive, and did not admit computing functions other than word processing.25 Disk programs made it practical to develop packages for use with personal computers, first made available in completely assembled form in 1977.26 Thus the separation of the software from the hardware also opened up the field to individuals. Word processing is now 'one of the most common general applications for personal computers.'27
Over the next ten years many new features were introduced in the field. One important innovation was the development of spelling check and mailing list programs.28 Another advance, introduced by Xerox in its Star Information System, allowed working on more than one document at a time on the same screen.29
Some programs now even incorporate bookkeeping and inventory functions, combining word processing with data processing and completing the marriage of the word processor to the computer.30 The combined field is known as information processing.31
The introduction and evolution of the specific word processing programs available today is not covered well in the literature. Authors seem to assume that their readers will automatically be familiar with recent developments, despite the fact that if they were they would not be buying the literature. WordStar, put out by Micropro International, has emerged as the industry standard in software packages, though others surpass it in one feature or another.32
There are now more than sixty complete word processing systems on the market, and more than thirty software packages for use with various computers,* all with different capabilities and claims about their efficiency. These are listed in Appendix A. It was not possible to describe all their features without turning the appendix into a book; however, such descriptions may be found in the sources from which the list was compiled (see the notes). To partially remedy this lack, a list of features standard in most current word processing programs has been provided in Appendix B.
The invention of printing and moveable type at the end of the Middle Ages2 was the initial step in this automation. But the first major advance from manual writing as far as the individual was concerned was the typewriter. Henry Mill, an English engineer of the early eighteenth century, is credited with its invention. The fact that almost nothing is known about his early version today is evidence of its lack of success.3
Christopher Latham Sholes, with the assistance of two colleagues, invented the first successful manual typewriter in 1867. It began to be marketed commercially in 1874, rather improbably by a gun manufacturing company, E. Remington and Sons.4 The main drawback of this model was that it printed on the underside of the roller, so that the typist could not view his work until he had finished.5
Acceptance of the typewriter was slow at first, but was facilitated over the next several years by various improvements. These included: the shift key, which made it possible to type both capital and lower-case letters with the same keys (1878); printing on the upper side of the roller (1880); and the tab key, permitting the setting of margins (1897).6
Eventually, at first in the corporate sector, the typewriter began to catch on. Businesses, which had hitherto had their records and correspondence written and copied by hand, found their paperwork could be done more quickly and legibly on the typewriter.7 Typewriting was put within the reach of individuals by the development of portable models, first marketed in the early 1900s.8
Thomas Edison patented an electric typewriter in 1872, but the first workable model was not introduced until the 1920s. In the 1930s IBM introduced a more refined version, the IBM Electromatic.9 It 'greatly increased typing speeds and quickly gained wide acceptance in the business community.'10
This was soon followed by the M. Shultz Company's introduction of the automatic or repetitive typewriter, perhaps the greatest step from the typewriter towards modern word processing. The Shultz machine's main innovation was automatic storage of information for later retrieval. It was a sort of 'player typewriter,' punch-coding text onto paper rolls similar to those used in player pianos, which could later be used to activate the keys of the typewriter in the same order as the initial typing. 11 With the automatic typewriter, it was possible to produce multiple typed copies of form letters identical in appearance to the hand-typed original, without the intermediary of carbons, photocopiers or typesetting.
The bulky paper roll machine was succeeded by a device called the Flexowriter, which used paper tape. This had a key that allowed the deletion of mistakes from the tape and copies by punching a 'non-print' code over the code for the character erroniously typed. Long passages of text could be deleted or moved by literally cutting the tape and pasting it back together.12
In 1961 IBM introduced the Selectric typewriter, which replaced the standard movable carriage and individual typestrikers with a revolving typeball (often refered to as a 'golfball' or 'walnut'). This could print faster than the traditional typewriter.13.
In 1964 IBM brought out the MT/ST (Magnetic Tape/Selectric Typewriter), which combined the features of the Selectric with a magnetic tape drive. Magnetic tape was the first reusable storage medium for typed information.14 With this, for the first time, typed material could be edited without having to retype the whole text or chop up a coded copy. On the tape, information could be stored, replayed (that is, retyped automatically from the stored information), corrected, reprinted as many times as needed, and then erased and reused for other projects. This development marked the beginning of word processing as it is known today.15
It also introduced word processing as a definite idea and concept. The term was first used in IBM's marketing of the MT/ST as a 'word processing' machine.16. It was a translation of the German word textverabeitung, coined in the late 1950s by Ulrich Steinhilper, an IBM engineer. He used it as a more precise term for what was done by the act of typing.17 IBM redefined it 'to describe electronic ways of handling a standard set of office activities — composing, revising, printing, and filing written documents.'18
Since the invention of the MT/ST, advances in technology have made word processing systems less expensive to produce, leading to intensified competition among developers and an increase in the development rate of new packages.19
In 1969 IBM introduced MagCards, magnetic cards that were slipped into a box attached to the typewriter and recorded text as it was typed on paper. The cards could then be used to recall and reprint text. These were useful mostly to companies which sent out large numbers of form letters. However, only about one page-worth of text could be stored on each card.20
In 1972 Lexitron and Linolex developed a similar word processing system, but included video display screens and tape cassettes for storage. With the screen, text could be entered and corrected without having to produce a hard copy. Printing could be delayed until the writer was satisfied with the material.21
The floppy disk marked a new stage in the evolution of storage media. Developed by IBM in the early 1970s for use in data processing (that is, traditional number computation), it was soon adopted by the word processing industry.22 Vydec, in 1973, seems to have been the first manufacturer to produce a word processing system using floppy disks for storage. Previous storage media could only hold one or two pages of text, but the early disks were capable of holding 80 to 100 pages. This increased storage capacity permitted the creation and easy editing of multipage documents without the necessity of changing storage receptacles.23
Floppy disks could also be used to hold programs. The most important advance in word processing was the change from 'hard wired' instructions built into the machinery to software on disks. When the programs were part of the equipment they were difficult to change and expensive to upgrade. Programs on disks could be updated more economically, since a rewritten program could be loaded into and used with the same hardware as the old one.24
Before disk programs most word processing packages were 'dedicated' systems, which were bulky and expensive, and did not admit computing functions other than word processing.25 Disk programs made it practical to develop packages for use with personal computers, first made available in completely assembled form in 1977.26 Thus the separation of the software from the hardware also opened up the field to individuals. Word processing is now 'one of the most common general applications for personal computers.'27
Over the next ten years many new features were introduced in the field. One important innovation was the development of spelling check and mailing list programs.28 Another advance, introduced by Xerox in its Star Information System, allowed working on more than one document at a time on the same screen.29
Some programs now even incorporate bookkeeping and inventory functions, combining word processing with data processing and completing the marriage of the word processor to the computer.30 The combined field is known as information processing.31
The introduction and evolution of the specific word processing programs available today is not covered well in the literature. Authors seem to assume that their readers will automatically be familiar with recent developments, despite the fact that if they were they would not be buying the literature. WordStar, put out by Micropro International, has emerged as the industry standard in software packages, though others surpass it in one feature or another.32
There are now more than sixty complete word processing systems on the market, and more than thirty software packages for use with various computers,* all with different capabilities and claims about their efficiency. These are listed in Appendix A. It was not possible to describe all their features without turning the appendix into a book; however, such descriptions may be found in the sources from which the list was compiled (see the notes). To partially remedy this lack, a list of features standard in most current word processing programs has been provided in Appendix B.
*The totals given here probably vastly underestimate the number actually available. [Back to Text]
Appendix A: Currently Available
Word Processing Systems and Software.
[Next] [Previous] [Contents] [Back to Text]1. Complete Systems33:
Note: dedicated systems are starred (*).Word Processor Pro 2 1 – Text Processor Applications
A. Available in Both Stand-Alone and Multiterminal Versions.
B. Available in Stand-Alone Version Only.
C. Available in Multiterminal Version Only.
D. Phototypesetters and Other Non-Standard Systems.
2. Software Packages34:
Appendix B: A List of Features Standard in
Most Current Word Processing Programs35.
[Next] [Previous] [Contents] [Back to Text]- Wordwrap: automatic arrangement of text in lines of specified length without the necessity of touching the return key.
- Discretionary Hyphenation: option of inserting a hyphen to break a word that ends a line: the hyphen does not print if later editing moves the word to the middle of a line.
- Justification: automatic alignment of text to both the left and right margins.
- Adjustment: realignment of text to new margin and tab settings.
- Alignment: positioning text or numbers to specified margin and tab settings.
- Decimal Alignment: positioning columns of numbers with the decimal points vertically aligned.
- Indents: the setting of temporary margins within a document differing from the primary margins used.
- Centering text on a line.
- Insertion: the entry of new text within previously typed material without erasing the existing material.
- Overstriking: the substitution of new text for old by typing over the old text.
- Deletion: erasure of text from the screen, or of whole documents from the disk.
- Search and Replace: moving directly to specified words or parts of words within a document and replacing them with different words or word portions.
- Copying or Cutting: the duplication or moving of blocks of text within a document.
- Boilerplate: the separate storage and retrieval of blocks of text from which standard documents can be built.
- Pagination: automatic division of a document into pages of specified numbers of lines.
- Page Numbering: automatic sequential numbering of pages.
- Headers and Footers: option of creating standard blocks of text that will automatically appear at the top or bottom of each page in a document.
- Footnoting: automatic sequential numbering of footnotes and positioning of the footnotes at the bottom of their appropriate pages during pagination.
- Table of Contents and Index Generators. Programs that create these based on the text of a document.
- Form Letter Merging: automatic combining of a form letter with a mailing list to generate multiple copies of the letter with the different addresses and other variable information filled in.
- Automatic Spelling Checker and Corrector. Program that compares words in the text against an on-line dictionary, flagging items not found in the dictionary and offering alternative spellings and a means of correcting the errors.
Notes:
[Next] [Previous] [Contents] [Back to Text]Note: see bibliography for full information on sources cited.
- Price & Urban, page xxiii. [Back to text.]
- Munday, page 4. [Back to text.]
- Munday, page 4. [Back to text.]
- Munday, pages 4-5, and Price & Urban, page xxi. [Back to text.]
- Munday, page 5. [Back to text.]
- Munday, page 5. [Back to text.]
- Price & Urban, page xxi. [Back to text.]
- Munday, page 5. [Back to text.]
- Munday, page 6, and Price & Urban, page xxi. [Back to text.]
- Munday, page 6. [Back to text.]
- Munday, page 6, and Price & Urban, page xxi. [Back to text.]
- Flores, pages 8-9, and Price & Urban, page xxi. [Back to text.]
- Munday, page 6. [Back to text.]
- Flores, page 11, Munday, pages 6-7, and Price & Urban, page xxi. [Back to text.]
- Munday, pages 6-7, and Price & Urban, page xxi. [Back to text.]
- Blissmer, page 66, and Munday, page 7. [Back to text.]
- Munday, page 7. [Back to text.]
- Blissmer, page 66. [Back to text.]
- Munday, page 9, and Price & Urban, page xxii. [Back to text.]
- Flores, page 12, and Price & Urban, page xxi. [Back to text.]
- Flores, pages 12-13, and Price & Urban, page xxii. [Back to text.]
- Flores, page 12. [Back to text.]
- Price & Urban, page xxii. [Back to text.]
- Munday, page 9, and Price & Urban, page xxii. [Back to text.]
- Blissmer, page 66, and Price & Urban, page 458. [Back to text.]
- Blissmer, page 427. [Back to text.]
- Blissmer, page 438. [Back to text.]
- Blissmer, page 438. [Back to text.]
- Price & Urban, page xxiii. [Back to text.]
- Price & Urban, page xxiv. [Back to text.]
- Price & Urban, pages 120 and 466. [Back to text.]
- McWilliams, page 167, and Marshak, page 137. [Back to text.]
- Price & Urban, pages 274-402. [Back to text.]
- McWilliams, pages 167-170, Marshak, pages 184-193, and Price & Urban, pages 403-433. [Back to text.]
- Marshak, pages 194-198. [Back to text.]
Annotated Bibliography:
[Previous] [Contents] [Back to Text]Note: Only book sources were used. I anticipated getting a lot of information out of computer journals, but they were poorly covered in the indexes.
- Blissmer, Robert H. Computer Annual: An Introduction to Information Systems 1985-1986. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1985. Treatment of word processing is limited, since this book covers the whole computer field, but it gives a few items of information I did not find elsewhere. Contains an interesting chronology of 'The Evolution of Computer Systems,' illustrated with photographs.
- Flores, Ivan. Word Processing Handbook. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, 1983. Deals mainly with the technology of word processing, explaining how the systems work and how to use them. A subsection of the introduction, 'The Evolution of Word Processing,' covers the history of the field from the same technical viewpoint. Its description of the development of the technology and what each system did is lucid and well illustrated with diagrams. Flores is weak on the dates the systems appeared and the names of their developers.
- Marshak, Ronni T. Word Processing Software for the IBM PC. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1985. A good overview of currently available word processing programs that can be used with the IBM personal computer, with ratings of each and comparisons of their features and prices.
- McWilliams, Peter A. Word Processing on the KayPro: A Special Edition of The Word Processing Book For Owners and Prospective Owners of the KayPro II, 4 or 10. Los Angeles: Prelude Press, 1983. Includes a section entitled 'A Brief and No Doubt Inaccurate History of Word Processing.' If McWilliams had only added 'useless' to the title of the section he would have summed it up exactly. There is some actual history in the book, but rather than put it in the history section McWilliams has thoughtfully spread it throughout the text so you can't find it.
- Munday, Marianne Forrester. Oportunities in Word Processing. Lincolnwood, Illinois: National Textbook Company, 1985. Includes a short chapter entitled 'History and Development of Word Processing,' the best discussion of the subject I found. Gives little on the evolution of specific software systems.
- Price, Jonathan, and Urban, Linda Pinneau. The Definitive Word-Processing Book. New York: Viking Penguin Inc., 1984. Includes a brief history of word processing in the introduction, comparable to the one in the Munday book, although shorter and generally less exact in the information given. Weak on developments since 1973. Gives little on the evolution of specific software systems. Includes an appendix similar in nature to the Marshak book, not as well organized, but covering the whole range of word processing systems rather than just those usable with the IBM PC.
—BPK, 12/13/86, rv.3/12/98.
A Brief History of Word Processing (Through 1986)
1st web edition posted 2/14/1996
(updated 5/27/1997).
2nd web edition posted 3/12/1998
(updated 5/15/2008).
(updated 5/27/1997).
2nd web edition posted 3/12/1998
(updated 5/15/2008).
Published by Fleabonnet Press.
© 1986-2008 by Brian Kunde.
© 1986-2008 by Brian Kunde.
Adobe xd 24 3 22. Jarte jär · 'tay noun (est. 2001) 1. A free word processor based on the Microsoft WordPad word processing enginebuilt into Windows. 2. A fast starting, easy to use word processor thatexpands well beyond the WordPad feature set. 3. A small, portable, touch enabled word processor whose documents are fully compatible with Word and WordPad.
Word Processor Pro 2 1 – Text Processor Apple
“It's one of life's little ironies that in a country with free speech, a program called Word costs over a hundred dollars. Fortunately, we also haveCarolina Road Software and their free-of-charge word processor,Jarte.”
—PC World magazine
—PC World magazine
Does Your Word Processor Handle Like an Ocean Liner?
When word processors replaced typewriters they helped free the creative expressions innate in all of us. But somewhere along the way word processors evolved into enormous machines designed primarily to serve the needs of the corporate world. Office word processors have become huge, cumbersome vessels of software that remind us of ocean liners. The seeming goal of both is to become as large as possible by including every imaginable feature, whether anyone actually needs all those features or not. That's fine for an ocean liner since you are there to relax and marvel at its grandness. However, it is not so fine when the size and complexity of your word processor makes it as cumbersome to operate as an ocean liner in a yacht race.
It does not have to be like that. Jarte is a WordPad based, FREE word processor whose unique interface will make you feel like you are piloting a swift, nimble yacht by comparison. Although Jarte doesn't look anything like the office word processor you are used to, it can handle your word processing tasks with aplomb. If this sounds like the kind of word processor you are looking for then maybe you owe it to yourself to give Jarte a try.
Writing Should Be a Pleasurable Experience
The problem with word processors designed for the corporate world is they tend to sap the joy out of writing. Office word processors have so many features it becomes frustrating trying to find the features you actually need among the seemingly endless excess of unused functions. You either lose your train of thought while wrestling with the program or you simply do without the feature you want rather than embark on an expedition to find it among the endless cascading menus and pop-up windows.
The Jarte word processor relieves that problem by including only the features likely to be needed by real people. Jarte is designed for students, writers, small business people, and home users. But what really makes Jarte special is the unique way it makes the features that are included easily accessible.
You expect a word processor to be able to handle Word documents, font and paragraph formatting, spell checking, print preview, and more. While Jarte performs all the standard functions well, the most important aspect of Jarte is the numerous small details that make it an efficient and enjoyable tool for creating documents. Small details like:
- Tabbed document windows for easy access to your open documents
- Instant dictionary and thesaurus word lookup (integrates with free WordWeb)
- Spell check and text search tools that do not get in the way of the text you are trying to edit
- Single click bookmarking that make bookmarks both useful and usable
- Instant access to the documents and folders you designate as your favorites
- Instant access to the fonts you designate as your favorites
- Easy access to your clipboard history
It is Jarte's thoughtful details that will leave you wondering how you lived with that cumbersome office word processor for so long.
Take it With You!
Jarte may be the best word processor available for mobile PCs. Jarte takes up very little space on your SSD or hard drive, it runs quickly and efficiently, and Jarte's compact display is perfect for small screen PCs. Jarte supports touch screen gestures, such as finger swipe scrolling and pinch zoom, for use on tablet PCs such as Microsoft's Surface Pro. Jarte is an ideal word processor for mobile PCs!
Jarte may also be the best portable word processor available. Jarte can easily be run directly from a USB flash drive (or even a DropBox folder), so your word processor is always ready for you no matter what PC you're using, providing the ultimate experience in portable word processing.
Screen Reader Friendly
Jarte has become a particularly popular word processor for the blind community due to its special screen reader mode. When Jarte detects the presence of a running screen reader program it starts in screen reader mode with an interface that is specifically designed to maximize accessibility via screen reader programs. An example of Jarte's screen reader friendliness is its pop-up menu driven spell check feature which directs the screen reader to audibly spell out misspellings and spelling suggestions. Jarte Plus also provides an optional audible notice when it detects a misspelled word has just been typed. Jarte is committed to being a great word processor choice for the visually impaired.
Stable WordPad Editing Engine
At the heart of Jarte sits the same word processing engine used by Windows' WordPad. The difference is that Jarte builds far more capability around the WordPad editing engine than the WordPad program itself does. The significance of this fact is that Jarte users are secure in the knowledge that Jarte is making use of the same reliable, time tested editing engine used by millions of other Windows users all over the world. If you have tried other alternative word processors and found them to be unstable that may be in part due to their use of unreliable, home grown editing engines.
Microsoft is continually upgrading the WordPad editing engine, although you would never know it by examining WordPad. The WordPad program itself has not changed since it was first introduced. Jarte, on the other hand, continues to evolve and take advantage of useful features as Microsoft adds them to the WordPad editing engine.
Jarte is a Free Word Processor? What's the Catch?
Yes, Jarte is completely free. There are no ads, no trial period, no nag screens, and no crippling of essential features. We do sell a separate edition of Jarte called Jarte Plus for those who want more. Many of Jarte's regular users have been more than willing to pay the small price for the extra bells and whistles provided by Jarte Plus.
Whether or not you choose to upgrade to Jarte Plus, we hope you will go forth and free other weary souls from their corporate office word processors by introducing them to Jarte —the word processor for the rest of us.