After two or three years when the San Rafael, California company appeared sunk in slumber, MicroPro International Corp has woken up with a start and is ready to launch a whole string of updates for its still very widely-used WordStar word processor – including the first major new release for years of the 8-bit CP/M version. It is also fulfilling its commitment to extend its reach into desktop publishing software. First up, in the middle of this month, MicroPro will begin shipping WordStar CP/M Edition Release 4 for Z80 and 8085-based CP/M micros. It will have an official list price of $295, but it will be available to most existing CP/M users at just $89. Groups of users will be able to buy two or more upgrades for $85 apiece, 10 or more for $79. In the MS-DOS world, MicroPro has Release 5 of WordStar Professional, also $295, which has over 100 improvements, including a 61,000-word dictionary, the option to use new or old commands, pull-down menu option, and it will have some desktop publishing features. Other add-ons include Revolution Software’s Cruise Control and a program for filling in forms, and it will also include automatic reformatting; it is due at the end of the year. And at Comdex/Fall, MicroPro will officially announce a desktop-publishing program for publishing professionals. The package, being designed by Island Graphics Inc, will have a WYSIWYG interface and will run under Microsoft Windows Version 2. Key features will include the ability to place text into any polygonal shape, including complex shapes such as that of the Space Shuttle or the Mona Lisa – no doubt there are people who will be attracted to such a pointless exercise. The product, which does not yet have a name, will be pitched in price between Pagemaker and Ventura Publisher, and will ship in 60 to 90 days after Comdex. MicroPro also says it is working on a desktop graphics program for next year.
