AtariWriter is a word processor program for the Atari 8-bit family released by Atari as a 16 kB ROM cartridge in 1983. The program was fast and easy to use, while still allowing the creation of fairly complex documents. It was a huge success for the platform, with at least 800,000 examples sold not including international versions and later updates. Atari had introduced its first branded word processor in 1981, Atari Word Processor. Reviews invariably lauded its features but concluded it was too difficult to use and its system requirements were too demanding. During the process of introducing new models of the computers, the XL series, the decision was made to abandon Word Processor in favour of a simpler program that would run on any machine. This led to them hiring William Robinson, author of Datasoft's Text Wizard, and having him to modify the program to run from a cartridge. Highly positive reviews in all major magazines quickly followed its release. The only major concerns were the lack of mail merge, a spell checker and a lack of printer drivers for anything other than Atari's models. An author of an add-on printer pack estimated he sold 25,000 copies through the Atari Program Exchange and direct. Atari later merged the spell checker, a mail merge function and a number of other features in 1986's AtariWriter Plus, available on floppy disk. A final upgrade was AtariWriter 80 of 1989, which added support for the XEP80 80-column display. AtariWriter also spawned a port to the Atari ST, ST Writer, which was offered free on early models of the ST. History Before AtariWriter Atari's original marketing plan for the 8-bit machines was to sell the 400 into educational settings and for games, and the 800 into small-office settings where CP/M and the Apple II were successful. Unfortunately, the lack of useful business software hindered any sales into the office market, and the machine quickly garnered a reputation as a glorified games box. In 1980 Atari decided to attack this problem by introducing their own word processor, the inventively named Atari Word Processor. This shipped on a copy protected floppy disk and required 48 kB of RAM, meaning that the user had to have a fully-expanded 800 and the Atari 810 disk drive at a minimum. The machines lacked a parallel port and Atari did not sell any printers with the SIO adaptor built-in, so