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.
