If you used a computer for any form of word processing you most likely used Microsoft Word. Microsoft Word came to be in 1983 and has dominated the business of word processing for countless years. The only real competitor it had was Corel's Word Perfect which was a worthy opponent up until the Nineties when Microsoft was able to pull ahead in the race. Today Microsoft Word is part of Microsoft's Office suite and is pre-installed on many Windows machines and the standard for most businesses. However, it does not have to be that way. There are many freeware options available for the consumer willing to break away from the sheep.
