I’ve come to dislike MS Word, but I have to give credit where it is due. Microsoft Word turned me into a writer. I may be rehashing a story that I’ve recounted here before, I can’t recall.
When I started college in 1992, I had to take the basic college freshman writing courses. I didn’t think I could write—and generally proved myself correct. Microsoft Word for Windows 2.0 came out, and I was ecstatic for it. I was coming from WP 5.1 and was dying for a proper Windows word processor.
I bought Word and loved using it. (As a broke college student, you would not be surprised to learn that I bounced the check to Software Etc. that I used to buy the program and got a call from my bank to bring them the money + an exorbitant NSF fee post haste.)
I spent so much time using it. That i started finding more and more excuses to write. I used the equation editor for writing papers and lab notebook write ups for science classes. I re-typed my notes in Word. I wrote tons and tons of papers. Somewhere along the line, I developed an affinity for writing.
I developed this affinity for writing all because I liked using a tool. The tool didn’t make me a good writer, but spending loads of time writing with it did.
So, let me lift my own glass to Word. Whatever its shortcomings, it has profoundly contributed to where I am today. Thank you, Word. Happy 40th!