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Word 5.0 PR.txt
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1992-08-28
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Date: Mon, 18 Nov 91 18:52:04 EST
From: "Dieder B." <UOG11228@vm.uoguelph.ca>
Subject: Word 5.0 Announcement
This was forwarded to me in response to a request for info
about the product announcement:
Date: Mon, 18 Nov 91 18:36 EST
Subject: Word 5 Announcement
=======C=L=I=P===H=E=R=E================C=L=I=P===H=E=R=E==============
For more information contact:
Microsoft Corporation For Release 12:00 p.m. PST
Sarah Charf November 14, 1991
(206) 882-8080
Waggener Edstrom
Gaby Adam or Russ Dorr
(206) 637-9097
New Microsoft Word for the Macintosh, Version 5.0,
Offers Features Users Requested Most
REDMOND, Wash. -- Nov. 14, 1991 -- Microsoft Corporation
today announced Microsoft Word for the Macintosh(R) version 5.0,
a new version of the leading word processor for the Macintosh.
Microsoft Word for the Macintosh was first introduced in 1985
and continues to be the most popular word processor among
Apple(R) Macintosh owners. With version 5.0, Microsoft improved
and added features that were requested most by users and make
it much easier to perform common word processing tasks. New
features include an integrated grammar checker, Drag and Drop
text, a new Print Merge Helper. In addition, version 5.0
takes full advantage of System 7, including Balloon Help,
TrueType fonts, Publish and Subscribe and support for Apple
Events. Microsoft also introduces plug-in modules, a new
modular architecture, with this version.
"With so many loyal users of Microsoft Word for the
Macintosh, we felt it was most important to concentrate on
adding the features users requested most," said Mike Maples,
Microsoft senior vice president of applications. "Our goal
was to make everyday word processing easier. By compiling
user input, analyzing data from Microsoft Product Support
Services and doing detailed usability testing, we believe we
have accomplished this goal."
"The new Word for the Macintosh version 5.0 is a
tremendous product in terms of making word processing easier,"
stated beta tester Joe Nagy, Chief of the Facilities
Engineering Group at the United States Mint. "With this
significantly improved upgrade, Microsoft has furthered its
commitment to make the product even more user friendly."
New and Improved Features Macintosh Users Want and Need
Drag and Drop. With the new Drag and Drop feature, users
can move words, sentences, and even paragraphs by just
clicking on highlighted text and dragging it to its new
location.
"When I'm editing, it is much easier to just grab a block
of text and move it rather than cutting and pasting," stated
beta tester Jonathon Duke, Director of Information Processing
Support at Boston College
Integrated grammar checker. Word for the Macintosh
users' most requested feature was grammar checking and Word
for the Macintosh version 5.0 is now the only word processor
for the Macintosh to feature a fully integrated grammar
checker.
"No other word processor for the Macintosh has this
feature built-in," stated beta tester Eric Weidl, Staff
Analyst, Academic and Public Computing, at the University of
Chicago. "And everyone, especially students and professors, is
aware of the importance of correct grammar."
Find File. A new Find File document manager allows a user
to locate files even if the user cannot remember the file
name. This new feature makes it easy to search by document
title, author, date, key words or even a simple word in the
document. Users can also preview document contents and other
information, and print files.
Print Merge Helper. The new Print Merge Helper is a
graphical tool bar which guides users through a form letter
step by step. The Print Merge Helper helps users create their
data document, link it to their form letter, and insert
information in just a few steps. With the Print Merge Helper,
even the most complex or personalized form letter is easy to
create.
Ribbon. The new Ribbon, a visual on-screen bar, makes
text formatting extremely simple by allowing users to change
fonts, format text, create columns, or create a drawing with
one click of the mouse.
New more visual preferences dialog box. Word for the
Macintosh v. 5.0 has a more visual look throughout to make
common word processing tasks as simple and intuitive as
possible. The new visual preferences dialog box, which allows
users to set all preferences simply and intuitively is just
one example.
Drawing tools. Drawing tools let users create basic
graphics directly from within their document. Graphics
converters also enable users to easily integrate images in
their documents.
Equation editor. A new graphical equation editor makes
it simple to create complex formulas.
Voice annotation. Users can add and playback voice
annotations to edit and comment on shared documents.
New spell checker and thesaurus. A new spell checker
makes suggestions based on phonetic and punctuation errors,
and the thesaurus is now fully integrated with the program.
Other user requested features include format search and
replace, shading and borders, and a change case command.
Conversion utilities. Conversion utilities for Microsoft
Word for Windows, Microsoft Word for DOS, WordPerfect(R) for DOS
and MacWrite(R) are included.
Full Support for System 7
Support for System 7.0. Word for the Macintosh v. 5.0
offers full support for System 7.0 including Balloon Help,
TrueType fonts, and Publish and Subscribe. In addition to
support for required Apple Events, Word for the Macintosh v.
5.0 supports a suite of Object Linking and Embedding (OLE)
Apple Events defined by Microsoft. This technology enables
users to integrate information in a variety of ways. For
instance, users can simply double click on an embedded
equation in a Word for the Macintosh v. 5.0 document to access
the product's full-featured equation editor. This equation
editor is also accessible from other applications, including
Microsoft Excel, which support OLE Apple Events.
New Modular Architecture
With Word for the Macintosh v. 5.0, Microsoft introduces
plug-in modules, a new modular architecture. Users can now
choose the specific features they want to install. Many of
the features in Word for the Macintosh v. 5.0, including Find
File, Drawing, voice annotations and others, are actually
plug-in modules.
Another benefit of plug-in modules are that they allow
Microsoft to easily add functionality to Word for the
Macintosh, and enable other software developers to tightly
integrate their applications with the product.
Microsoft announced plans to add a new module, WordBasic,
to Word for the Macintosh within six months. The editable
macro programming language will be consistent with the one in
Word for Windows.
Pricing, System Requirements and Availability
Microsoft Word for the Macintosh v. 5.0 is scheduled to
be available in early January 1992 for a suggested retail
price of $495. System requirements include a Macintosh Plus
or higher, System 6.02 or higher, and one megabyte of memory
(two megabytes is recommended). Two megabytes of memory is
required for the grammar checker.
Users of Word for the Macintosh and other word processors
for the Macintosh (including Microsoft Write, MacWrite, Nisus,
WordPerfect, and WriteNow ) can upgrade to version 5.0 for
$129. Users who have acquired Microsoft Word for the
Macintosh version 4.0 after Nov. 1, 1991 through the shipping
date of version 5.0, can upgrade for free.
Microsoft Word for the Macintosh version 5.0 has been
localized to meet the language specific needs of international
markets. The English version of Word for the Macintosh v. 5.0
will be available in more than 120 countries worldwide.
French, German, French-Canadian, Italian, and Swedish versions
will be available in the first quarter of 1992. Dutch,
Norwegian, Danish and Finnish versions will be available in
the second quarter of 1992. Turkish and Portuguese versions
are also planned.
Microsoft Corporation offers a complete family of
applications for the Macintosh operating system. Microsoft
Excel, Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint(R), Microsoft Works,
Microsoft Mail, Schedule +, and Microsoft Project are designed
to work well together and are integrated to provide a
comprehensive computing solution.
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ "MSFT") develops, markets
and supports a wide range of software for business and
professional use, including operating systems, network
products, languages and applications, as well as books,
hardware and CD-ROM products for the microcomputer
marketplace.
#########
Microsoft and PowerPoint are registered trademarks and Windows
is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
Apple, Macintosh and Mac are registered trademarks of Apple
Computer, Inc.
Claris and MacWrite are registered trademarks of Claris
Corporation.
WordPerfect is a registered trademark of WordPerfect
Corporation.
CorrecText Grammar Correction system is developed by Houghton
Mifflin Company; underlying technology developed by Language
Systems, Inc.