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{{Redirect|Scriptor|the scriptwriting word processor|Movie Magic Screenwriter}}
 
{{Infobox software
|name = SpeedScript
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|developer = [[Compute!]] Publishing
|screenshot = Speedscript_3.2_for_Commodore_64.png
|caption = SpeedScriptversion 3.2 on a Commodore 64
|released = {{Start date and age|1984|01}}<ref name="brannon198401" />
|latest release version = 3.2
|latest release date = {{Start date and age|1987|5}}<ref name="mitchener198606" />
|platform = [[Commodore VIC-20|VIC-20]], [[Commodore 64]] [[Commodore 128| / 128]], [[Apple II]], [[Atari 8-bit family|Atari 8-bit]], [[MS-DOS]]
|programming language = 6502 [[assembly language]],<ref name="brannon198401" /><br>[[Turbo Pascal]]<ref name="thompson1989" /> (MS-DOS)
|genre = [[Word processor]]
}}
 
'''SpeedScript''' is a [[word processor]] originally printed as a [[type-in program|type-in]] [[MLX (software)|MLX]] [[machine language]] listing in 1984-85 issues of ''[[Compute!]]'' and ''[[Compute!'s Gazette]]'' magazines. Approximately 5&nbsp;[[Kilobyte|KB]] in length, it provided many of the same features as commercial word processing packages of the [[8-bit]] era, such as [[PaperClip]] and [[Bank Street Writer]]. Versions were published for the [[Apple II]], [[Commodore 64]] and 128, [[Atari 8-bit familycomputers]], [[Commodore VIC-20|VIC-20]], and [[MS-DOS]].
 
==Versions==
In April 1983 ''[[Compute!]]'' published '''Scriptor''', a word processor written by staff writer Charles Brannon in [[BASIC]] and [[assembly language]], as a [[type-in program]] for the [[Atari 8-bit familycomputers]].<ref name="brannon198304" /> In January 1984 version 1.0 of his new word processor SpeedScript appeared in ''[[Compute!'s Gazette]]'' for the [[Commodore 64]] and [[Commodore VIC-20|VIC-20]].<ref name="brannon198401" /> 1.1 appeared in ''Compute!'s Second Book of Commodore 64'',<ref>SpeedScript's Lineage; Pg 11 June 1986 Compute! https://archive.org/details/1986-06-compute-magazine/page/n11/mode/2up</ref> 2.0 on ''Gazette Disk'' in May 1984,<ref>The SpeedScript Family; Pg 71 May 1987 Compute!'s Gazette https://archive.org/details/computes.gazette/Compute_Gazette_Issue_47_1987_May/page/n71/mode/2up</ref><ref>Gazette Disk Premiere ad Pg 33 April 1984 Compute!'s Gazette https://archive.org/details/1984-04-computegazette/page/n33/mode/2up</ref> and 3.0 in ''Compute!'' in March and April 1985.<ref name="Brannon198503" /><ref name="Brannon198504" /> Corrections that updated 3.0 to 3.1 appeared in May 1985,<ref name="capute198505" /> and the full 3.1 version appeared in a book published by Compute!, ''SpeedScript: The Word Processor for the Commodore 64 and VIC-20''.<ref name="Brannon1985commodore" /> ASpeedScript: 3.2The updateWord appearedProcessor infor the DecemberCommodore 1985 ''Compute!''<ref name="Brannon198512" />64 and January 1986 ''Compute! Disk''<ref name="mitchener198606"VIC-20 https://> and again later in the May 1987 ''Compute!'s Gazette'' issue with three additional utilitiesarchive.org/details/Computes_Speedscript</ref name="Brannon198705" />
 
[[PEEK and POKE|POKE]]s for the VIC-20 and C64, to update 3.0 or 3.1 to 3.2, appeared in the December 1985 ''Compute!''<ref name="Brannon198512" /> and the full 3.2 version was available on the January 1986 ''Compute! Disk''.<ref name="mitchener198606" /> The POKEs for the 64 were also included in the full SpeedScript 3.2 article when it was reprinted in the May 1987 ''Compute!'s Gazette'' issue and the full program, plus three additional utilities, were available on the May 1987 Gazette Disk.<ref name="Brannon198705" />
 
SpeedScript 3.2, alongside SpeedCalc, Fontmaker, and five other utility programs, was included in the special Best of COMPUTE! & GAZETTE<ref>{{cite web | url=https://archive.org/details/1988-Best-Of-computegazette/page/n103/mode/2up | title=Compute! Gazette Issue 1988 Best of | date=December 1988 }}</ref> disk/magazine in 1988.
 
Also of note was the Reader's Feedback column in the January 1986 Compute! which had POKEs to eliminate the DISK or TAPE? question.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://archive.org/details/1986-01-compute-magazine/page/n11/mode/2up | title=Compute! Magazine Issue 068 | date=January 1986 }}</ref>. There was, however, a typo in the listing and that was corrected in the March 1986 CAPUTE! column.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://archive.org/details/1986-03-compute-magazine/page/n127/mode/2up | title=Compute! Magazine Issue 070 | date=March 1986 }}</ref>.
 
Ports toof V3 for the Atari 8-bit computers and the [[Apple II]] were printed in ''Compute!'' in May<ref name="Brannon198505" /> and June 1985 respectively.<ref name="Brannon198506" /><ref name="mitchener198606" /> SpeedScript was written entirely in assembly language, and Compute! Publications later released book/disk combinations that contained the complete [[Comment (computer programming)|commented]] [[source code]] (as well as the machine language in [[MLX (software)|MLX]] format) for each platform.<ref name="Brannon1985commodore" /><ref name="Brannon1985atari" /><ref name="Brannon1985apple" />
 
A version of SpeedScript for [[MS-DOS]] was created in 1988 by Randy Thompson and published in book form by Compute! Books.<ref name="thompson1989" /> This version was written in [[Turbo Pascal]] with portions written in assembly language, and added incremental new features to the word processor such as additional printer commands, full cursor-control (to take advantage of the PC's Home, End, PgUp, and PgDn keys), and a native 80-column mode.
 
==80-column updates==
The original versions of SpeedScript were designed for the 40-column Commodore 64 and the 22-column VIC-20. When the [[Commodore 128]] was released, featuring an 80-column display, many users requested an updated version of SpeedScript to take advantage of this new capability. In June 1986, ''Compute!'s Gazette'' published SpeedScript-80, a short [[Patch (computing)|patch]] for SpeedScript 3.0 or higher, which enabled the use of the [[MOS Technology VDC8563|VDC]]'s new 80-column capabilities on a Commodore 128 running in 64 mode.<ref name="heimarck198606" /> However, this did not take advantage of the C128's expanded memory, and a few minor commands were eliminated due to the alterations to the existing code.
 
[[File:SpeedScript 128 in action.png|thumb|right|SpeedScript 128]]
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In a review of four word processors, ''[[The Transactor]]'' in May 1986 praised SpeedScript as "extremely sophisticated", citing its large text buffer, logical cursor navigation, and [[undo]] command. While criticizing its lack of [[typographic alignment|right justification]], the magazine concluded that SpeedScript was not only "an easy winner" among budget-priced word processors, but also "a serious contender even when compared with the higher priced programs".<ref name="bose" />
 
SpeedScript was sufficiently popular to receive coverage in reference works, such as the "Wordprocessing Reference Guide" of [[Karl Hildon]]'s ''Inner Space Anthology''<ref name="inner" /> and [[Mitchell Waite]]'s ''The Official Book for the Commodore 128''.<ref name="128book">{{cite book | chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/The_Official_Book_for_the_Commodore_128#page/n87/mode/2up | title=The Official Book for the Commodore 128 Personal Computer | publisher=Howard W. Sams & Co. |author1=Waite, Mitchell |author2=Lafore, Robert |author3=Volpe, Jerry | year=1985 | pages=76 | isbn=0-672-22456-9 | chapter=The C64 Mode}}</ref> [[Columbia University]]'s [[Kermit (protocol)|Kermit]] software for Commodore computers supported transferring SpeedScript files.<ref name="c64ker">{{cite web | url=http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/ftp/c64cross/c64ker.txt | title=File Transfers: Transferring Files | publisher=Kermit Project, Columbia University | work=Commodore 64/128 Kermit User's Guide | date=1 January 1992 | access-date=23 February 2016 | author=Sullivan, Kent | pages=18}}</ref>
 
==Gallery==
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|image1=VIC-20 SpeedScript.gif
|width1=392
|caption1=SpeedScript 3.0 for the [[Commodore VIC-20]]
|image2=SpeedScript 3.0.png
|width2=332
|caption2=SpeedScript 3.0 for the [[Atari 8-bit family]]computers
}}
<!-- should get a SpeedScript for Apple screenshot too -->
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|url=https://archive.org/stream/1984-01-computegazette/Compute_Gazette_Issue_07_1984_Jan#page/n39/mode/2up
|access-date=18 February 2015
|workjournal=[[COMPUTE!'s Gazette]]
|issue=7
|publisher=[[COMPUTE! Publications]]
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|url=https://archive.org/stream/1983-04-compute-magazine/Compute_Issue_035_1983_Apr#page/n57/mode/2up
|title=''Scriptor'': An Atari Word Processor
|workjournal=[[COMPUTECompute!]]
|issn=0194-357X
|date=April 1983
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|url=https://archive.org/stream/1985-03-compute-magazine/Compute_Issue_058_1985_Mar#page/n123/mode/2up
|access-date=1 March 2015
|workjournal=[[COMPUTECompute!]]
|issue=58
|date=March 1985
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|url=https://archive.org/stream/1985-04-compute-magazine/Compute_Issue_059_1985_Apr#page/n101/mode/2up
|access-date=1 March 2015
|workjournal=[[COMPUTECompute!]]
|issue=59
|date=April 1985
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|publisher=[[COMPUTE! Publications]]
|___location=Greensboro, North Carolina
|isbn=0-94238-694-9}}
|url=https://archive.org/details/Computes_Speedscript}}
</ref>
<ref name="Brannon198512">{{cite journal
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|url=https://archive.org/stream/1985-12-compute-magazine/Compute_Issue_067_1985_Dec#page/n91/mode/2up
|access-date=1 March 2015
|workjournal=[[COMPUTECompute!]]
|issue=67
|date=December 1985
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|url=https://archive.org/stream/1987-05-computegazette/Compute_Gazette_Issue_47_1987_May#page/n55/mode/2up
|access-date=1 March 2015
|workjournal=[[COMPUTE!'s Gazette]]
|issue=47
|date=May 1987
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|url=https://archive.org/stream/1985-05-compute-magazine/Compute_Issue_060_1985_May#page/n103/mode/2up
|access-date=1 March 2015
|workjournal=[[COMPUTECompute!]]
|issue=60
|date=May 1985
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|url=https://archive.org/stream/1985-06-compute-magazine/Compute_Issue_061_1985_Jun#page/n117/mode/2up
|access-date=1 March 2015
|workjournal=[[COMPUTECompute!]]
|issue=61
|date=June 1985
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|url=https://archive.org/stream/1986-06-compute-magazine/Compute_Issue_073_1986_Jun#page/n11/mode/2up
|title=''SpeedScript'''s Lineage
|workjournal=[[COMPUTECompute!]]
|issn=0194-357X
|issue=73
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|isbn=0-87455-003-3
|url=https://archive.org/details/ataribooks-speedscript
|url-access=registration
}}
</ref>
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|url=https://archive.org/stream/1986-06-computegazette/Compute_Gazette_Issue_36_1986_Jun#page/n77/mode/2up
|access-date=1 March 2015
|workjournal=[[COMPUTE!'s Gazette]]
|issue=36
|date=June 1986
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|url=https://archive.org/stream/1987-10-computegazette/Compute_Gazette_Issue_52_1987_Oct#page/n23/mode/2up
|access-date=1 March 2015
|workjournal=[[COMPUTE!'s Gazette]]
|issue=52
|date=October 1987
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|url=https://archive.org/stream/1989-09-computegazette/Compute_Gazette_Issue_75_1989_Sep#page/n39/mode/2up
|access-date=4 March 2015
|workjournal=[[COMPUTE!'s Gazette]]
|issue=75
|date=September 1989
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|url=https://archive.org/stream/1987-12-computegazette/Compute_Gazette_Issue_54_1987_Dec#page/n75/mode/2up
|access-date=1 March 2015
|workjournal=[[COMPUTE!'s Gazette]]
|issue=54
|date=December 1987
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|url=https://archive.org/stream/1985-12-computegazette/Compute_Gazette_Issue_30_1985_Dec#page/n65/mode/2up
|access-date=18 February 2015
|workjournal=[[COMPUTE!'s Gazette]]
|issue=30
|date=December 1985
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|url=https://archive.org/stream/1988-09-computegazette/Compute_Gazette_Issue_63_1988_Sep#page/n61/mode/2up
|access-date=1 March 2015
|workjournal=[[COMPUTE!'s Gazette]]
|issue=63
|date=September 1988
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|url=https://archive.org/stream/1985-05-compute-magazine/Compute_Issue_060_1985_May#page/n85/mode/2up
|access-date=1 March 2015
|workjournal=[[COMPUTECompute!]]
|issue=60
|date=May 1985
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|url=https://archive.org/stream/1987-05-computegazette/Compute_Gazette_Issue_47_1987_May#page/n77/mode/2up
|access-date=18 February 2015
|workjournal=[[COMPUTE!'s Gazette]]
|issue=47
|date=May 1987
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|url=https://archive.org/stream/1987-05-computegazette/Compute_Gazette_Issue_47_1987_May#page/n75/mode/2up
|access-date=18 February 2015
|workjournal=[[COMPUTE!'s Gazette]]
|issue=47
|date=May 1987
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|url=https://archive.org/stream/1987-05-computegazette/Compute_Gazette_Issue_47_1987_May#page/n76/mode/2up
|access-date=18 February 2015
|workjournal=[[COMPUTE!'s Gazette]]
|issue=47
|date=May 1987
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|url=https://archive.org/stream/1985-05-compute-magazine/Compute_Issue_060_1985_May#page/n99/mode/2up
|access-date=1 March 2015
|workjournal=[[COMPUTECompute!]]
|issue=60
|date=May 1985
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[[Category:1984 software]]
[[Category:Word processors]]
[[Category:Atari 8-bit familycomputer software]]
[[Category:Apple II word processors]]
[[Category:Commodore 64 software]]
[[Category:Commodore 128 software]]
[[Category:Commodore VIC-20 software]]
[[Category:Assembly language software]]
[[Category:Commercial software with available source code]]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpeedScript"