MindWrite

MindWrite is an early word processor designed for Macintosh computers. It was released in 1986 by Mindword Software and distributed by DeltaPoint, placing it among the earlier word processors on the platform.

The key feature of MindWrite was its integrated outliner, a system that allowed documents to be organized in a hierarchy and then re-arranged with drag-and-drop operations. At the time, after the release of the pioneering ThinkTank, such systems were considered to be a new way to organize knowledge and perform workflows. This generated considerable press for the small company. However, the system was otherwise very simple in terms of style and layout options and initially lacked a spell checker, issues that were always noted in reviews.

An outliner was soon added to Microsoft Word and when Microsoft began offering software bundles for the Mac, sales of alternative solutions slowed. The product changed hands several times before going dormant in the 1990s. It cannot be used on Macintosh systems higher than 7.0.

History[]

MindWrite was released for the Macintosh in late 1986, from Mindword Software of California.

Reception[]

In a survey of five Macintosh word processors, Compute!'s Apple Applications in 1987 wrote that MindWrite's "word processor is a pleasure in itself", and stated that the "excellent outline processor fuses directly with" it. The magazine criticized its slow speed, however, and suggested that customers might want to wait until bugs were fixed.^[1]

See also[]

• List of word processors
• List of old Macintosh software
• MORE (application)
• FullWrite Professional

References[]

• Chris Ruben, "Program Smoothly Integrates Outlining, Word Processing", InfoWorld, Volume 9 Number 6 (9 February 1987), pg. 52-54
• "MindWrite, Version 1.1", InfoWorld, Volume 10 Number 32 (8 August 1987), pg. 32