Wang Laboratories

Word Processors

The Wang word processor was designed by Harold Koplow and David Moros, who began by first writing the user's manual. This has long been known, and regarded as a brilliant design strategy. But it was apparently not a deliberate one. A 2002 Boston Globe article refers to Koplow as a "wisecracking rebel" who "was waiting for dismissal when, in 1975, he developed the product that made computers popularly accessible."

Related Topics:
Word processor - Harold Koplow - David Moros

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In Koplow's words, "Dr. Wang kicked me out of marketing. I, along with Dave Moros was relegated to Long Range Planning—'LRPed'. This, up until then, was tantamount to being fired: 'here is a temporary job until you find another one in some other company.'"

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Although he and David Moros were indeed told to design a word processing machine, they were given no resources. They perceived the assignment as busywork. They went ahead anyway, wrote the manual, and convinced Dr. Wang to turn it into a real project. The word processing machine—the Wang WPS—was introduced in June 1976 and was an instant success, as was its successor, the 1977 Wang OIS (Office Information System).

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These products were technological breakthrough in their day. They were multi-user systems. Each "workstation" looked like a typical terminal of its day, but contained its own Z80 microprocessor and 65K of RAM (roughly comparable in power to a typical 1982 IBM PC). Disk storage was centralized in a "master" unit that was shared by the workstations, and connection was via high-speed dual coax. Multiple OIS "masters" could be networked to each other, allowing file sharing among hundreds of users. And the systems could be easily operated and administered by office personnel without special training (in the days before schools taught "computer literacy"). It was an astonishing achievement.

Related Topics:
Multi-user - Terminal - Z80 - Microprocessor - RAM - Disk storage - Coax - Networked - File sharing

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All software for the systems was developed by Wang Laboratories, and the operating system, file formats, and electronic interface specification were closely held proprietary secrets. Wang did not want third parties developing for or interconnecting with its systems. (This was relaxed somewhat in the late eighties).

Related Topics:
Operating system - File format - Proprietary secrets

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