What Is A Word Processor And What Is It For?

Modern word processors are informational programs used to create and edit text documents using a computer or laptop. They are softwares that fulfill multiple functionalities related to writing, giving their users the possibility of using different fonts, sizes, colors, effects and types of paragraphs, among other options that serve to create all kinds of documents.

The first word processor was the typewriter and it was used for many decades to write all kinds of official documents. Modern programs provide many options that enhance the experience when writing a document and are so important and necessary that all students must learn to use them 100% before beginning their professional career, since in the vast majority of careers and jobs, it is necessary to know how to use Word and other processors.

Advantages of a word processor

Personal computers came to permanently replace typewriters, and although they allowed different actions to be carried out in addition to writing, the word processor was the main use that was given to these equipment.

Word processing programs represented the next big step, allowing people to type much faster, more comfortably and with the assurance that if they made a mistake, they only had to press one key to get rid of their mistake, a advantage that typewriters did not offer.

These programs offer many more advantages that allow us to have better productivity and perform higher quality jobs.

Organization of the text

With any word processor it is very easy to organize the document material, you simply have to cut a section and paste it into another, adjusting it in the way that best suits you.

The ability to quickly and easily reorganize documents gives people the freedom to write freely and to later reorganize the content of the document, either by chapters, sections or points, as needed.

Spelling and grammar checking tools

Presenting an important document with spelling mistakes is a mistake that can cause serious inconvenience. That is why modern word processors work with proofing tools that can be used automatically or that emit an alert when a spelling mistake is detected in the document, allowing the user to correct their mistake with a couple of clicks.

With this tool, a clean spelling in the document can be guaranteed, although it is advisable to always review the final work, since sometimes it may not detect the lack of accents, commas and other grammatical rules.

Save different versions of a document

Thanks to the fact that a document can be saved with a different name each time, it is possible to make changes to a document and save it with a different name, so that you can have several versions of the same document. This way you can compare the different versions that you have saved and use the one to create that best suits your needs.

Using templates

The most popular word processors often offer their users a wide variety of templates that can be used to give a better structure to work. Likewise, these programs also allow users to create their own templates at a personalized level.

Using the templates is very simple, suppose that a business must be inventoried every weekend. You can create a custom business template and use it whenever you are creating a new document. In this way you can start to organize the information more comfortably and without having to create the template from scratch.

Types of word processors

All word processors, as a general rule, fulfill the same function and have the same main objective. However, between one program and another there can be many differences, both in its functionality and in the results it delivers.

In this way, when we talk about the different types of word processors, we are actually referring to the different programs that we can install on a computer and use it to create or edit our documents. Some programs are very basic and fairly easy to use, while others are a bit more complex and offer a lot of functionality.

What are the most used word processors?

• Microsoft Word

It is one of the first word processors and without a doubt the most used today. Its use is very intuitive and comfortable, but it has a large number of functionalities that allow you to create specific documents that fit any need. It allows adding graphs, tables, images, hyperlinks, different types of fonts and a large number of tools that complement its use. It even allows you to perform spreadsheets and other professional functions that are often used in offices.

• Notepad

It is the most basic word processor that we can find on a Windows computer. This program is limited to creating plain text (TXT) and does not have any special features.

• WordPad

It is another very basic word processor, although it contains more options and tools than the notepad. It allows you to change the font, the typeface, use bold, italics and save the documents in the program’s own format.

• Writer de OpenOffice

This processor offers a very complete program that contains the vast majority of functionalities that we find in a good quality word processor. Its main goal is to provide a free alternative to Word.

• Google Docs

It is an online word processor that is part of the Google suite. It is a very complete program and the changes we make to the document are automatically saved in the cloud. It works much like Word and can be run on any computer.

History of the word processor

Times are changing and technology increasingly facilitates or improves our work. A few decades ago, typewriters were considered a great technological advance for all the people who had to write, from books to government or company documents. Thanks to these machines, word processing was introduced and the way of writing was revolutionized.

In 1867 Christopher Latham Sholes, with the help of two of his colleagues, invented the first typewriter that was accepted by society. However, this machine had some disadvantages, such as the fact that it printed on the bottom of the roller, so that the person who was writing could not see if their work was well written until finished.

A few years later, in 1872, the famous Thomas Edison filed the patent for the first electric typewriter, which was introduced to the general market in 1920.

After several decades, in 1964, IBM developed and introduced the MT / ST (Tape / Selectric Magnetic Typewriter), which practically combined the features that the Selectric had with the Magnetic Tape.

When personal computers began to be sold, IBM developed the first digital word processor called WordStar, which quickly became one of the most popular programs worldwide in 1978. Shortly after, Word for IBM computers was introduced, which worked on DOS systems. In 1995 Microsoft Office was introduced, the updated versions of which are still valid today.

Conclusion of using a word processor

Word processors were invented 150 years ago and since then they have continued to evolve to facilitate work and improve productivity, while managing to offer more features and functionality to their users. Any written work done today is done using a word processor.