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Re: Wordstar on DOS still rocks

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On 2014-05-15, Hils <hils@saynotospam.net> wrote:
> On 2014-05-15 08:02, Bob Eager wrote:
>> On Wed, 14 May 2014 23:31:36 -0400, sail0r wrote:
>> 
>>> On 2014-05-14 09:52:55 +0000, RS Wood said:
>>>
>>>> The blogosphere is buzzing this week with the revelation[1] that George
>>>> R.R.
>>>> Martin[2] , the much-admired author of the A Game of Thrones[3] and
>>>> more, actually does his writing on a DOS machine running the old, 1970s
>>>> word processor, Wordstar[4] .
>>>
>>> When I read that I wondered just how he got the files to his publisher?
>>> Is he running DOS in emulation and just otherwise emails the files?
>>> If not, does he snail mail them a floppy disk? Dial up to some remote
>>> machine?
>>> Anyone know?
>> 
>> No reason why he couldn't email from DOS.
>
> He has another networked machine for email etc.


Here's an article on the Register, too:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/05/15/game_of_thrones_written_on_brutal_medieval_word_processor_and_os/

I was thinking the same thing, though.  Any machine still running DOS
likely has a floppy disk, for example.  So he transfers from the DOS
machine to the other (for laughs, I'll assume WinXP or equivalent) on a
floppy disk and mails from there?  And does Wordstar export to text or
something equally non-proprietary?  

Interesting thing is: the Register jokes his software is appropriate
because he's writing about an ancient, brutal time, and using ancient,
brutal software to do it.  Yet GRRM clearly feels the contrary, that
modern, 'helpful' word processors are actually the brutal, unusable
ones.  I'm forced to use the stupid Ribbon interface *and* the horrid
new Office2013 or O365 or whatever Microsoft calls it now, and I detest
it.  So I'm with GRRM on this subject.

BTW, Pete Peterson (founder of WordPerfect) published Almost Perfect,
the story of the rise of WordPerfect; it's got several sections about
how they competed against Wordstar.  Decent read, especially since you
now know the ending:

http://www.wordplace.com/ap/

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Thread

Wordstar on DOS still rocks RS Wood  <rsw@therandymon.com> - 2014-05-14 09:52 +0000
  Re: Wordstar on DOS still rocks sail0r <sail0r@example.com> - 2014-05-14 23:31 -0400
    Re: Wordstar on DOS still rocks Bob Eager <news0002@eager.cx> - 2014-05-15 07:02 +0000
      Re: Wordstar on DOS still rocks Hils <hils@saynotospam.net> - 2014-05-15 08:31 +0100
        Re: Wordstar on DOS still rocks RS Wood <rsw@therandymon.com> - 2014-05-15 11:50 +0000
          Re: Wordstar on DOS still rocks Rich <rich@example.com> - 2014-05-15 12:50 +0000
            Re: Wordstar on DOS still rocks RS Wood <rsw@therandymon.com> - 2014-05-15 15:53 +0000
              Re: Wordstar on DOS still rocks scott@alfter.diespammersdie.us (Scott Alfter) - 2014-05-15 17:27 +0000
                Re: Wordstar on DOS still rocks Rich <rich@example.com> - 2014-05-15 18:10 +0000
                Re: Wordstar on DOS still rocks Lewis <g.kreme@gmail.com.dontsendmecopies> - 2014-05-16 03:53 +0000
      Re: Wordstar on DOS still rocks Lewis <g.kreme@gmail.com.dontsendmecopies> - 2014-05-15 15:59 +0000
        Re: Wordstar on DOS still rocks Bob Eager <news0002@eager.cx> - 2014-05-15 17:08 +0000
          Re: Wordstar on DOS still rocks Lewis <g.kreme@gmail.com.dontsendmecopies> - 2014-05-15 23:31 +0000
            Re: Wordstar on DOS still rocks David Harmon <source@netcom.com> - 2014-05-15 18:02 -0700
              Re: Wordstar on DOS still rocks Lewis <g.kreme@gmail.com.dontsendmecopies> - 2014-05-16 03:56 +0000
                Re: Wordstar on DOS still rocks David Harmon <source@netcom.com> - 2014-05-19 11:30 -0700
            Re: Wordstar on DOS still rocks Bob Eager <news0002@eager.cx> - 2014-05-16 06:06 +0000
        Re: Wordstar on DOS still rocks Anssi Saari <as@sci.fi> - 2014-05-19 23:14 +0300
          Re: Wordstar on DOS still rocks RS Wood <rsw@therandymon.com> - 2014-05-19 23:12 +0000
    Re: Wordstar on DOS still rocks Lewis <g.kreme@gmail.com.dontsendmecopies> - 2014-05-15 15:59 +0000
    Re: Wordstar on DOS still rocks scott@alfter.diespammersdie.us (Scott Alfter) - 2014-05-15 17:10 +0000
      Re: Wordstar on DOS still rocks Rich <rich@example.com> - 2014-05-15 17:55 +0000
        Re: Wordstar on DOS still rocks Lewis <g.kreme@gmail.com.dontsendmecopies> - 2014-05-15 23:33 +0000
          Re: Wordstar on DOS still rocks "John" <j@j.j> - 2014-05-22 10:32 -0700
  Re: Wordstar on DOS still rocks Peter Percival <peterxpercival@hotmail.com> - 2014-05-16 09:59 +0100
    Re: Wordstar on DOS still rocks Paul Sture <nospam@sture.ch> - 2014-05-18 19:01 +0200
  Re: Wordstar on DOS still rocks Peter Percival <peterxpercival@hotmail.com> - 2014-05-16 18:10 +0100
    Re: Wordstar on DOS still rocks RS Wood <rsw@therandymon.com> - 2014-05-18 14:11 +0000
      Re: Wordstar on DOS still rocks Peter Percival <peterxpercival@hotmail.com> - 2014-05-18 16:18 +0100

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