Microsoft has announced that it will retire WordPad application after nearly 30 years. The company made the announcement in a blog post on Friday, saying that WordPad will no longer be updated and will be removed in a future release of Windows.
WordPad was first released in 1990 as a basic word processing program for Windows. It was designed to be a simple and easy-to-use alternative to Microsoft Word. WordPad has been included with every version of Windows since then.
However, Microsoft has said that it will no longer be developing or supporting WordPad after Windows 11. The company has not said why it is retiring WordPad, but it is likely due to the increasing popularity of other word processing programs, such as Microsoft Word and Google Docs.
Microsoft Word is a much more powerful word processing program than WordPad. It offers a wider range of features, such as a grammar checker, a thesaurus, and a mail merge function. Google Docs is a cloud-based word processing program that can be accessed from anywhere. It also offers a number of features that are not available in WordPad, such as real-time collaboration and commenting.
Microsoft has said that users who need a more powerful word processing program should switch to Microsoft Word. The company has also said that Windows Notepad will still be available for users who need a basic text editor.
The retirement of WordPad is a sign of the changing landscape of word processing software. In the past, there were only a few major players in the market. But now, there are a number of powerful and affordable options available, both online and offline. This makes it more difficult for Microsoft to justify continuing to develop and support WordPad.
The retirement of WordPad is also a reminder of the transient nature of software. Even the most popular and well-established programs can eventually be discontinued. This is something that users should keep in mind when choosing software, and it is important to have a backup plan in case a favorite program is retired.
Reactions to the news of WordPad’s retirement have been mixed. Some users have expressed sadness at the loss of a familiar and reliable program. Others have said that they are not surprised, given the increasing popularity of other word processing programs.
Ultimately, the decision of whether or not to use WordPad is up to each individual user. However, the retirement of WordPad is a reminder that the software landscape is constantly changing, and users should be prepared for their favorite programs to be discontinued.
Here are some of the alternatives to WordPad that users can consider:
- Microsoft Word: This is the most popular word processing program in the world. It offers a wide range of features and is available for both Windows and macOS.
- Google Docs: This is a cloud-based word processing program that can be accessed from anywhere. It is free to use and offers a number of features that are not available in WordPad, such as real-time collaboration and commenting.
- Notepad++: This is a free text editor that can be used for basic word processing tasks. It is available for Windows.