MacWrite, along with [MacPaint][1], were originally packaged alongside
the Macintosh operating system. This heavily promoted the image that
Macs are easy to set up and use?a reputation that Apple still relies
upon.
By the end of the 80s, MacWrite was becoming a victim of its own
success. It had shown the world that typesetting need not be any more
complicated than typing. Software developers scrambled to write
applications that could support the growing desktop publishing
industry.
Caught between complaints that the software was not evolving, and that
it stifled competition by being bundled with the Mac, MacWrite
produced a series of maintenance releases that left consumers
uninspired.
Starting with [version 5.0 onward][2], all MacWrite production was
moved to Claris Corporation, then-new Apple's new software subsidiary
company. Then, following on from MacWrite 5.0's development, [MacWrite
II][3] was released, written from the ground up. For a time, it look
poised to take the market lead away from Microsoft Word, but
ultimately lost out while waiting for Claris to release their Pro line
of applications. [MacWrite Pro][4] wasn't released until 1993.
## Downloads
Download #1: MacWrite 1.0 (app only), MacWrite 2.2 (app only),
MacWrite 4.5 (disk image; cannot be run on a write-protected disk,
must first be copied to an unprotected volume).
Download #2: MacWrite 4.5 English version
Download #3: MacWrite 4.5 and 4.6, scans of packaging in PDF.
Download #4: MacWrite 4.5 Italian version
Download #5: MacWrite 4.5 Italian version - disk image
Download #6: MacWrite 1.0 Italian version (with MacPaint 1.0 too) -
disk image
Download #7: MacWrite 2.20, 4.5 and 4.6 French versions (applications
only)
Download #8: MacWrite 3.4 - This was one of several intermediary
versions of MacWrite that did not see commercial distribution and
would have only been available as an update from a software dealer.
This particular copy (sourced from MacGUI) has had the 3rd-party
spellchecker [Mac?Spell?Right][5] installed on-disk. (Later versions
of MacWrite came with a built-in spellchecker, obviating the need for
a 3rd-party solution.)
Download #9: MacWrite 1.0 in German language (app only). Stuffed and
BinHexed.
## Manuals
Manual #1: English language manual, part #030-0688-F (1985). This
manual was packaged with all versions of MacWrite through version
v4.6.
Manual #2: MacWrite 4.6 Update, part #031-0524-A (1987). Manual
addendum explaining change with version 4.6.
Manual #3: MacWrite 4.6 Packing List and Registration Card.
Manual #4: Dutch language manual.
Compatibility
Architecture: 68k
All versions up to 4.5 are designed for a 68000 (512K, Plus, SE) CPU.
Only 4.6 will run on later Macs such as the Mac II.
Disk Based ? An Explanation
The way that MacWrite was originally designed meant that documents
created with it were limited in size, based on the amount of available
RAM in the Macintosh. For the original Macintosh, with its 128k of
RAM, this meant about 10 pages worth of text per document. Even on the
Macintosh 512k, this was only about 30 pages.
Recognizing the problem, Apple released new "disk-based" versions of
MacWrite that, instead of being limited to the amount of installed
RAM, used the available capacity of the floppy disk as a temporary
"scratch" area, allowing MacWrite to handle much larger file sizes
than was previously possible.
Disk-based versions of MacWrite are easily recognized, as the words
Disk Based are printed directly on the label of the diskettes, just
beneath the MacWrite graphic. (See the diskette image above.)
[1]:
http://macintoshgarden.org/apps/macpaint
[2]:
http://macintoshgarden.org/apps/claris-macwrite
[3]:
http://macintoshgarden.org/apps/macwrite-ii-10v2
[4]:
http://macintoshgarden.org/apps/macwrite-pro-10v4-esp
[5]:
http://macintoshgarden.org/apps/mac-spell-right
