Word 1 ported: A 36-year-old text editor runs natively on Windows 11
A developer has ported Microsoft Word 1.1a from 1990 to Windows 11. The 36-year-old program runs natively as a 64-bit application and requires neither cloud, AI, nor a subscription.
GitHub user Justin Marshall (jmarshall23) has ported the source code of "Microsoft Word for Windows 1.1a" for 64-bit systems. The code originates from Microsoft, which released it in 2014 together with the Computer History Museum for non-commercial use (source code on GitHub). The ported .exe file runs natively, i.e., without emulation, on Windows 11.
The source code was originally written for systems with 1 MB RAM and processors in the single-digit megahertz range – a contrast to today's software, which often requires several hundred MB of RAM. Marshall translated the 16-bit assembler parts and the segmented memory management of the original into modern code. He secured the porting with an automated test suite – it checks, among other things, the behavior of dialogues, formatting, and saving.
Anyone who wants to build the port themselves needs a 64-bit Windows computer, Visual Studio 2022 (or newer) with the "Desktop development with C++" workload installed, and CMake. The instructions are available on GitHub. The porting shows how simple and efficient software used to be – and how much unnecessary ballast it carries today.
I find my muse in everything. When I don’t, I draw inspiration from daydreaming. After all, if you dream, you don’t sleep through life.
From the latest iPhone to the return of 80s fashion. The editorial team will help you make sense of it all.
Show all
