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 SuperScripsit 1.0 | |
| Developer(s) | Tandy |
|---|---|
| Initial release | 1978; 47 years ago (1978)[1] |
| Operating system | TRSDOS,Xenix,MS-DOS |
| Type | Word processor |
| License | Proprietary |
Scripsit (usually rendered in official marketing and support documents as SCRIPSIT) is a word processing application written for theRadio ShackTRS-80 line of computers. Versions were available for most if not all computers sold under the TRS-80 name, including theTRS-80 Color Computer and severalpocket computer designs, as well as the Tandy version of theXenix operating system. Tandy Corp. also produced a version running underMS-DOS for its line ofPC compatible computers (Tandy 1000 and successors). Some of the8-bit versions aretape-based and have no ability to read or write to disk.
The word scripsit is a Latin verb equivalent to the English "wrote". It was often used as an inscription indicating the identity of the person who wrote something.
Scripsit is a rudimentaryword processor. It has basic text entry and margin controls, as well as word wrap. Many versions tied to specific platforms were available, and each version had its own set of features. Most versions supportedvariable width fonts, specifically fordaisy-wheel printers. None had support for graphics other than some character macros[clarification needed] depending on the version. The version for the TRS-80 Model I had special handling to make it possible to use lowercase letters, even though the hardware itself did not support mixed-case type.
Despite its limitations, Scripsit was seen at the time as akiller application for the TRS-80 line of machines, along with other breakthrough applications such asVisiCalc. It was Radio Shack's top-selling program for the consumer-oriented Models I and III. Its main competitor was Michael Shrayer'sElectric Pencil. Scripsit dominated its market because, at first, no other TRS-80 word processor was available through the ubiquitous Radio Shack retail stores, with alternatives only being known and made available to the public in the TRS-80 computer press, such as80 Micro magazine.
The software market evolved quickly, however, and Scripsit's popularity soon gave way to popular packages running on other more computers. Tandy released Scripsit for theTandy 1000,2000, and otherMS-DOS computers, but80 Micro's 1986 review found that it was slower thanWordStar, with an awkward user interface, and more expensive thanMicrosoft Word. While approving of its flexibility, the magazine wondered if the company released the DOS version to a market with numerous competitors because of "stubborn pride? Homage to a classic name from the TRS-80 days?".[2]
Word processors typically require the use of specialfunction keys to access editing commands as opposed to text entry. This proved to be a challenge on the TRS-80 Models I and Model III, as their keyboards had no non-typewritermodifier keys—not evenControl. Instead, Tandy uses@ to access features such as margin control and load/save. Other common features are implemented as key combinations usingClear, and, lacking⇪ Caps Lock, the combination⇧ Shift+0.
By contrast, the DOS version of Scripsit assigns up to 60 commands to function keys with modifier keys, which80 Micro described as "a good idea that Scripsit takes to extremes".[2]
An upgraded disk-only version namedSuperScripsit was available with spellchecking for some platforms, specifically the Model I, Model III, and Model 4.[3] This version basically matches the functionality of the normalScripsit for disk-based platforms such as the Model II, Model 12, andModel 16.[4] Some additional features such asboilerplating and integration withProfile, Tandy's database program for all of their TRS-80 platforms, are available for the disk versions.
Starting SuperScripsit led to a main menu of tasks such as "Open", "Proofread", or "Setup". Presumably because of the limited screen area on most TRS-80 models, there were no visible menus on the editing screen. RAM was probably also an issue, since selecting each of the options resulted in heavy floppy disk activity.
SuperScripsit for the Models III and 4 could handle text files larger than memory by paging text data in and out of RAM to disk (effectively avirtual memory technique, but implemented by an applications program). Sometimes (often, according to some frustrated users) this feature malfunctioned and created a garbled data file. Rescue utilities were made available to rectify this situation.[5][6][7]
This was an all-new version written for Tandy/Radio Shack by CompuSoft. The author was Samuel A. Solomon. Scripsit Pro required aTRS-80 Model 4 equipped with the full 128 KB RAM. The text buffer was limited to 32 KB and it lacked SuperScripsit's ability to page text from disk. However, it could hold a second 32K text document in banked RAM and split the screen to permit editing of both documents at once, and to transfer text between the two buffers. It could also chain text files, handle footnotes and columnar text, and included a spell checker with a customizable dictionary. The documentation included instructions for the creation of custom printerdrivers.[8]
Scripsit had a number of significant bugs that could result in the loss of work. The Model 4 version, for example, would inject random text throughout the document if the user held the control key ('@') down for more than a few seconds. If the machine turned off or was reset while a document was still open, the software could not open the document ever again.
Early versions had the counter-intuitive step of "closing the file" which required a special operation before saving and exiting the file. If this step was omitted, the file could not be opened again. No warnings were issued beforehand. This was eliminated in newer versions of Scripsit.
One handy and somewhat innovative feature for the time was the ability to add customcontrol characters in the printer setup. This allowed the user to take advantage of new features in a printer that were not intrinsically supported by Scripsit, such as different fonts or colours, or printingextended ASCII characters to produce simple lines and boxes. This was possible as printer manuals of the day included a full list of supported control character sequences for such functionality.
80 Micro criticized the MS-DOS version of Scripsit for only supporting Tandy printers.[2]
Isaac Asimov used Scripsit running on aTRS-80 Model II Computer for over nine years, and wrote over 11 million words with the program.[9] British thriller authorJames Follett also used Scripsit, running on aTRS-80 Model I, to writeThe Tiptoe Boys, which was filmed asWho Dares Wins.[10]James Fallows praised Scripsit as "the word-processing program I prefer above all others ... the best program on the market".[11]
On the TV programMr. Wizard's World,Mr. Wizard (Don Herbert) used Scripsit on aTRS-80 Model 16 to demonstratespell checking.[12]