Wordster (c)     A 32-bit ASCII editor
--- Freeware ---
Copyright Paul Houle 2005 (paulhoule.com)

[page last modified 2008-02-21]

Wordster is a fast, character mode (non-graphical) file editor.  It's a Wordstar clone -- the non-document mode of WordStar (c) 6.0, the last version of that program I purchased in 1990.  If you are familiar with any version of WordStar you should feel right at home editing an ASCII text file with Wordster.  There are omissions, and there are differences (for example, defining function keys and ESC macro sequences is done via an .ini file instead of within a setup program).  There are also enhancements -- for example, windows can be split vertically, and any screen dimension (e.g. a DOS box of 70 rows and 160 columns) is supported.  Wordster is a full 32-bit program, so there is no limit on file size.

If you spend time in a Windows 9x/XP DOS box, and those "old key sequences" come naturally to your fingers when editing, you might find Wordster of interest.  I use it daily to edit all kinds of plain text files.

The reason Wordster exists is primarily due to the poor DOS box that is implemented in Windows XP (16-bit software no longer performs acceptably there).  Since I had been using the same editor for well over a decade, and it had become so annoying to use under Windows XP, I decided to write my own from scratch.

The result is a Win32 console application that will run under Win 9x/ME/XP.  I have done some compatibility testing, but not an extensive amount -- I use it solely under XP.  If anyone finds a problem in one of the older OS's, I'll try to fix it.

As of the 6/18/05 version, Wordster will also run under 16-bit DOS. This requires the HX DOS extender (see version 1.20 notes below). Now I use Wordster on my DOS boot CD too!

To install, simply unzip the download file into any directory in the path.  There is a single executable, "ws.exe," and a single support file "apl2cdm.dll."  You may optionally create a "ws.ini" file in the same directory; this file holds any program option that can be placed on the Wordster command line.

If the program name conflicts with one you may already have, it may be changed -- for instance, feel free to rename "ws.exe" to "Wordster.exe."  The "ws.ini" and "apl2cdm.dll" files may not be renamed.

The program is written in a mix of C and compiled APL2.  The APL2 portion uses Tilman Otto's excellent compiler that can be found at (http://www.apl2c.com).

Let me know if you like it.  I'll do my best to fix bugs and any glaring oversights.

Note: all trademarks are property of their respective owners.

Change Log

5/9/04- Version 1.01: Initial release.

5/7/05- Version 1.10: Fixed bug causing last character of row to be converted to a tab in odd circumstances.

6/18/05- Version 1.20: Linked with static run-time for DOS extender compatibility. Tested with the excellent HX DOS extender (Thank you for your help Japheth).  To use, put the HX DOS extender files DPMILD32.EXE, HDPMI32.EXE, DKRNL32.DLL and DUSER32.DLL in your path, then start Wordster via  DPMILD32 WS.EXE.  Alternatively add HXLDR32.EXE to your path as well, then run HXLDR32.EXE; after that point WS.EXE can be executed normally from the command line.  All the mentioned files are in the HX DOS extender runtime package, go to: http://www.japheth.de.

6/23/05- Version 1.23: Fixed bug causing abort if an extended ascii keystroke was entered directly via keyboard. Also fixed a clipboard related bug.

6/28/05- Version 1.31: Reduced WS.exe size 20%.  Display error (useful if using DOS extender) if user32 library cannot be accessed; currently user32 is required only when clipboard functions ^k[ and ^k] are invoked.

Click here to download  ws131.zip

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