Magic Wand (software)

Magic Wand (software)

Magic Wand is the name of a piece of word-processing software for CP/M-based computers first released in 1979, written by Mike Griffin. Les Pinter was COO and Bill Radding was VP of Marketing. It was marketed in 1980 with such quotes as "the most powerful, most flexible, most reliable, most usable word processing software available for a CP/M-based computer," and "the best word-processing software ever written for a microcomputer."

A contemporary ad for the product mentioned the following features.

  • Full screen text editing, featuring "single stroke control keys" including using the function keys available on the end-user's terminal.
  • Full text formatting commands, allowing the setting of page features such as text justification, line spacing, widow/orphan management, and margins. Other features mentioned in this category include bold and underline (broken and solid) capability. "You may change any of these commands at run-time /without reformatting the file/." (original emphasis)
  • Merging with external data files, "with either fixed length or sequential records," allowing the generation of reports or form letters.
  • User-defined Variables. The MAGIC WAND allowed a maximum of 128 variables of up to 55 characters per variable. There was a seven-character limit on variable names. According to the ad copy, the variables were stored as strings, but could be treated as integers- allowing comma or decimal notation (e.g., 1,000,000.00), as well as the ability to increment or decrement the value.
  • Conditional commands. It seems as though MAGIC WAND allowed certain portions of a file to be printed or not as determined by a "straight-forward IF statement."

In September of 1980, Bill Gates, who was 23 years old at the time, called Les and asked to buy the source code. The next day, Gates came to Les' home in Houston and bought the source code, presumably to be used as the basis for Microsoft Word, which was launched two years later. Les Pinter signed a confidentiality agreement and was not allowed to disclose the sale until twelve years later, when Bill Gates verbally released him from the agreement during a dinner at Gates' house.

At the time, Magic Wand was available on 8-inch or 5.25-inch floppy disks and supported a variety of terminals.

Magic Wand later became Peachtext by Peachtree Software.

See also

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