Perfect Writer
| Industry | Software |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Austin , United States |
| Products | Perfect Writer, Perfect Speller, Perfect Thesaurus |
Perfect Writer is a word processor designed by Perfect Software for the CP/M operating system. In 1984, Thorn EMI Computer Software secured exclusive rights for marketing and distribution, subsequently redeveloping it as Perfect II tailored for IBM PC compatible machines. Developed in the C language and recognized for its reliability, it served as an improved iteration of MINCE, which itself was a microcomputer adaptation of Emacs. Given the 64 KB memory constraints typical of microcomputers, running Emacs natively was impractical. Similar to MINCE, Perfect Writer implemented a floppy disk-based virtual memory mechanism.
This word processor was included with early models such as Columbia Data Products, Kaypro II, and the Morrow systems, along with the Torch Computers Z80 Disk Pack designed for the BBC Micro. It was offered at a price point of and also came pre-installed on the UK’s brief-lived Advance 86B PC. The application supported as many as seven buffers simultaneously and incorporated features like character transposition, undo, footnotes, and indexing tools that rivaled those found in specialized word processing software of that time. Its capacity to cut and paste across multiple open files provided a competitive advantage over rivals such as WordStar. By early 1983, sales through original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) comprised approximately half of Perfect Software's total income.
Additional modules available included Perfect Speller and Perfect Thesaurus from Perfect Software itself, alongside third-party extensions like Plu*Perfect developed by Plu*Perfect Systems. Plu*Perfect contained "D," a dired-style file browser which received acclaim from Stewart Brand, who described it as "the best of all directory displayers."
Initially launched by Perfect Software, subsequent editions were produced by Knowledge Engineering located in Austin, Texas. The thesaurus component was authored and updated by George O. Jenkins, Jr.