I still think WordPerfect 4.1 may be my Holy Grail of word processors. But the hell with it, I'm excited about getting this pristine ancient TextCraft (plus!) software in my hands.
I guess I should explain why I do what I do with original software, because some might find it strange... beyond the fact that it's 1) expensive and 2) virtually unnecessary these days and 3) impractical with aged, magnetic based storage.
To get completely transported I prefer to find original disks - when they are affordable and not outrageously priced. Sometimes the hunt is half the fun. I'd much, much rather wait for the software in the mail as patiently as I can, as if I had ordered via snail mail catalog back in the day, paid for by a check back then no less (by a parent!) .
Half the time, I get disks these days that are corrupted and I wind up having to move ADFs I find online onto a blank anyway. But I quietly put the new disk in the box with the dead one(s) but play it like it was brand new. It probably sounds weird, but I'd rather collect my software the old fashioned way - on disk - even if I wind up playing 1/2 my stuff off my HDD. I mean, why not? What's the rush, right? At least when I find something that isn't a gazillion dollars...
I got TextCraft NOS for $25! Probably $15 more than I would have liked, but it's still shrink wrapped, so that's worth it to me. This is a hobby, after all.
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ptyerman
- Worksop/ UK
Cool, still shrink wrapped software is getting rare these days.
I have never seen Textcraft, not even screenshots of it. I wonder if it's one of those programs that was more popular in the USA than the UK, or just down to my ignorance? Over here in the late 80's and very early 90's it was mostly Pen Pal and Kindwords that you heard about through reviews etc.
Transwrite was another that used to pop up quite regularly. I still have a boxed copy of that on the shelf, along with Wordsworth. I can't remember if I ever used it though, so I couldn't describe it at the moment. Looking at the box though, it does seem to have the white page layout that has been described in the other thread.
I have never seen Textcraft, not even screenshots of it. I wonder if it's one of those programs that was more popular in the USA than the UK, or just down to my ignorance? Over here in the late 80's and very early 90's it was mostly Pen Pal and Kindwords that you heard about through reviews etc.
Transwrite was another that used to pop up quite regularly. I still have a boxed copy of that on the shelf, along with Wordsworth. I can't remember if I ever used it though, so I couldn't describe it at the moment. Looking at the box though, it does seem to have the white page layout that has been described in the other thread.
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Shot97
- Detroit, MI, USA
I still remember the box... My dad tended to keep the word processor boxes much longer than the game boxes. Probably because they cost over a hundred dollars. Some of them would often come with hefty manuals. They were lined up like books at the very top of the computer desk, far out of my reach until I mastered the art of climbing.
I brought the manual to work so I could take a closer look. It is loose-leaf intended for a very hardy 3-ring binder.
Textcraft Plus was developed by "International Consumer Technologies Corporation" aka ICT Corporation. They hold copyrights for 1986 and 1987 - so this was developed and distributed in the USA when the Amiga was just a baby. Based on the logos and copyright page, it appears to have been done in concert and with the blessing of Amiga directly. It probably was sold right next to the Amiga in stores - you don't see the ICT logo anywhere on any of the packaging. It's all the classic checkmarks.
I think this word processor pre-dated or simply didn't include spell checking or a dictionary. George R.R. Martin would have approved!
Textcraft Plus was developed by "International Consumer Technologies Corporation" aka ICT Corporation. They hold copyrights for 1986 and 1987 - so this was developed and distributed in the USA when the Amiga was just a baby. Based on the logos and copyright page, it appears to have been done in concert and with the blessing of Amiga directly. It probably was sold right next to the Amiga in stores - you don't see the ICT logo anywhere on any of the packaging. It's all the classic checkmarks.
I think this word processor pre-dated or simply didn't include spell checking or a dictionary. George R.R. Martin would have approved!
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Shot97
- Detroit, MI, USA
Yeah, I never noticed that until you brought it up, has the signs of Commodore all over it. One or the other must have approached wanting a good word processor and of course, money! And I still have my original "disk". - Just one disk for that baby. I'm wondering if it came as a pack in with ours, since you mentioned that. My dad bought it brand spanking new in 1987 with kickstart 1.2 (I've upgraded to 1.3) and I just remember it coming with Electronic Arts FA-18. But I do know TextCraft was our first word processor... So... Timing lines up for that being packed in.
Oh, yeah, spelling... I'm sure that's why it fell out of favor with me
- George, you're a good man, I approve of your DOS ways, but I'm not as good as you! I like my page view and I like my spell check!
Oh, yeah, spelling... I'm sure that's why it fell out of favor with me
- George, you're a good man, I approve of your DOS ways, but I'm not as good as you! I like my page view and I like my spell check!I read your article on using the Amiga as a word processor. I just got an old 1000 up and running and have a copy of Textcraft Plus I got off of eBay. Would you happen to know if Textcraft exports a format readable in any way on a modern PC?