Powered by decreasing prices, increasing sophistication, and widespread availability of technology, the word processing revolution changed the landscape of communications by giving people hitherto unavailable power to make or break reputations, to win or lose elections, and to inspire or mislead through the printed word. The increasingly large collective body of knowledge is one outcome of the permanency of the written word, including both historical and current works. The power of the written word to transcend verbal communications is best exemplified by the ability of writers to share information and express ideas with far larger audiences and the permanency of the written word. Throughout history, the written word has provided mankind with the ability to transform thoughts into printed words for distribution to hundreds, thousands, or possibly millions of readers around the world. Word processing technology allows human beings to freely and efficiently share ideas, thoughts, feelings, sentiments, facts, and other information in written form. Common word processing applications include Microsoft Notepad, Microsoft Word, and Corel WordPerfect. A typical word processor enables the user to create documents, edit them using the keyboard and mouse, store them for later retrieval, and print them to a printer. A word processor is a program designed to assist with the production of a wide variety of documents, including letters, memoranda, and manuals, rapidly and at relatively low cost.

The ability to perform word processing requires a computer and a special type of computer software called a word processor. Of all the computer applications in use, word processing is by far the most common. This chapter will discuss the history of word processing, identify several popular word processing applications, and define the capabilities of word processors. Word processing is the act of using a computer to transform written, verbal, or recorded information into typewritten or printed form.

Andrew Prestage, in Encyclopedia of Information Systems, 2003 I.

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