Apple Writer

Apple Writer
Title	Apple Writer
Release date(s)	1979
Original Platform(s)	Apple II
Developer(s)	Paul Lutus
Category(s)	Productivity, Word Processing, Word Processor

Overview

Apple Writer was born in a small hand-built cabin in the Oregon woods, created by Paul Lutus— a self-taught electronics engineer and former NASA contractor. In 1979, Lutus purchased one of the first Apple II computers to assist with technical writing and scientific research. Frustrated by the lack of decent text editors available for the system, he decided to build his own word processor.

Lutus designed Apple Writer not as a commercial product at first, but to meet his own need for a robust text entry system. The program was coded in 6502 assembly language and was extremely efficient, fitting within the tight memory constraints of the Apple II while offering powerful features like text editing, document storage, and later spell-checking and formatting.

Lutus negotiated a one-time upfront fee of $7,500 with Apple to publish Apple Writer. At the time, the up-front fee seemed an agressive request based on approximately 5,000 Apple II computers sold into the marketplace. However in time, subsequent releases of Apple Writer were wildly successful for both Apple and Paul Lutus.

Legacy and Impact

Apple Writer was one of the earliest full-featured word processors available for any home computer. It helped establish the Apple II as a serious machine for productivity and business, alongside VisiCalc (for spreadsheets) and later database and communications programs.

Its creator, Paul Lutus, became something of a legend— known as the “hermit programmer” who developed one of Apple’s most important software titles from a remote cabin. His story was featured in The Wall Street Journal and numerous computing magazines, serving as an early example of independent software success.

While its interface may seem primitive by today’s standards, Apple Writer played a foundational role in the evolution of personal computing software, showing that microcomputers could be used not just for programming or games, but for real-world writing and publishing.

Releases

Links

Wikipedia