word processor history -- interesting article (Evan Koblentz)

[Fred Cisin]

On Fri, 8 Jul 2016, Paul Koning wrote:
> I may have missed it, but I haven't seen the IBM MT/ST mentioned. 
> That's certainly a rather old system, dating back to 1964 according to 
> Wikipedia, which says it's the oldest word processor (and references an 
> article about WP history).

The original post that started this thread referred to a URL
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/06/how-to-write-a-history-of-writing-software/489173/?platform=hootsuite

It suggested that one significant contender for that author's "FIRST 
author to write a book on a word processor" was Len Deighton.  In the late 
1960s he bought one.  He wrote first drafts on his typewriter, then his 
secretary, Ellenor Handley, retyped it into his MT/ST and edited it there.
Specifically, a novel entitled "Bomber", published in 1970.

If the MT/ST was released in 1964, then even with its high price, it seems 
odd that so many years would go by before anybody used it for a book 
manuscript.


(I also mentioned that the pronunciation of MT/ST made me want to create a 
word processor to be called "FULL ST")