OREM, Utah March 24, 1993 WordPerfect Corporation officially introduced
WordPerfect 6.0 for DOS today, the first upgrade in more than three years to the company's
best-selling DOS word processor. The new version, scheduled to be released later this
spring, was unveiled during press conferences in Germany, Australia, Canada, the United
Kingdom and the United States.
Version 6.0 is the successor to WordPerfect 5.1 for DOS. Version 5.1 has
consistently been a best seller for the company since its introduction in 1989. That trend
continued in 1992, as WordPerfect 5.1 for DOS outsold all other software applications.
"Like version 5.1, WordPerfect 6.0 for DOS will set a new standard in information
processing," said Alan Ashton, president of WordPerfect Corporation. "The hundreds of new
and enhanced features in WordPerfect 6.0 allow people to accomplish tasks never before
possible with a word processor," said Ashton.
Spreadsheet functionality, for example, is now built into WordPerfect. Computing functions and cell formatting features are now a part of Tables and allow users to accomplish
most spreadsheet functions without having to use a separate spreadsheet package.
WordPerfect 6.0 users will also be able to fax directly from within WordPerfect.
Version 6.0 supports FaxBIOS technology and will ship with the necessary drivers for Class
1, Class 2, or CAS-compliant fax devices.
"WordPerfect 6.0 for DOS is a product that goes beyond word processing by
providing solutions to a variety of day-to-day tasks," said Todd Ashman, product marketing
director for WordPerfect for DOS. "The new fax, sound, e-mail and spreadsheet capabilities
found in this upgrade help make WordPerfect the application from which all personal
computing originates."
Version 6.0 is also the first DOS word processor from WordPerfect Corporation to be
fully developed using the new WordPerfect Usability Center. "Usability testing helped us to
develop a new version of WordPerfect which is not only more powerful, but easier to use
than competing word processors," said Jim Millecam, director of WordPerfect development.
"The new WordPerfect Coach feature, for example, takes WordPerfect ease-of-use to
a new level and is unavailable in any other word processing application," said Millecam.
The Coach feature allows users to access their own personal tutor for selected
functions. The Coach will then guide the user by giving step-by-step instructions regarding
how to execute the specific function.
Hundreds of other user enhancement requests have been added to the product. A few of the most powerful new additions include:
WYSIWYG Editing
Users can choose among three different interface modes while editing. The Text
Mode is similar to the only mode currently available in version 5.1. Working in
Graphics Mode allows users to see a graphical representation of fonts, graphics,
colors etc. The Page Mode offers the same functionality as the Graphics Mode, but
also shows headers, footers, footnotes, page numbers etc. All three modes are fully
editable, mouse compatible and can be accessed at any time in the program.
Scalable Fonts
WordPerfect 6.0 supports four types of scalable fonts: Type 1, Intellifont, TrueType
and Bitstream Speedo. WPFI, a utility that ships with the product, will install
additional scalable fonts if the user desires. WordPerfect 6.0 for DOS will also ship
with a number of customized scalable WordPerfect fonts. The scalable font
technology in WordPerfect 6.0 makes true DOS-Windows-OS/2 font compatibility a
reality.
Selectable Merge
Users can select the fields of the data records they would like included in a merge and
then set the criteria by which those records are selected (all of the Jones who live in
New York City, for example.)
QuickFinder
First available in WordPerfect 5.2 for Windows, QuickFinder is an innovative way to
search local or network directories quickly and effectively. Indexes created with
QuickFinder allow users to quickly search for documents based on user-defined
criteria.
Other new and enhanced features include color printing, drag-and-drop graphics,
irregular text wrap around graphic images, Grammatik 5, the ability to work with up to nine
documents at a time, Undo, enhanced envelope creation and more powerful macro
capabilities.
more
WordPerfect 6.0 for DOS Page 4
"The new graphical interface is a powerful enhancement to the product," said Bill
Kesselring, an analyst at DataQuest in San Jose, California. "The overall combination of new
and enhanced features in version 6.0 make WordPerfect the easiest DOS word processor to
learn and use."
WordPerfect 6.0 for DOS will have a retail price of $495 for a full package. Full
package upgrades, for existing WordPerfect customers, will have a retail price of $129. A
competitive trade-up package will also be available for $149 to customers who own a
