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by Carol Karels (Author)
War of the Words explores the dramatic transformation of the workplace during the 1980s, when computers, office automation, and--most notably--word processing began reshaping the modern office. At the heart of this story are two Texas brothers, Hank and Everett Karels, who developed MASS-11, a groundbreaking word processor that ran on Digital Equipment Corporation's (DEC) VAX minicomputers as well as IBM PCs and compatibles.
Despite its clunky name, MASS-11 was a powerhouse--loaded with features, lightning-fast in performance, and trusted by a Who's Who of the Fortune 500. Scientists, engineers, and office workers alike used it to document pivotal developments, including the Patriot Missile, the Hubble Space Telescope, the Alaska Pipeline, the first HIV test, and major pharmaceuticals like Zoloft, Zithromycin, and Prozac.
The Karels brothers, through their company MEC, saw the untapped potential of the VAX computer before DEC itself realized its impact on office automation. The author, a nurse by profession who joined the family startup from the beginning, offers an insider's view of an industry undergoing rapid and radical change--an industry that would ultimately reshape society.
She reflects on the grueling world of office work before digital transformation, where secretaries typed on IBM Selectrics from nine to five, only to retype entire documents the next day for even minor corrections. With vivid detail, she captures a rarely told slice of history: the monochrome, repetitive rhythm of office life before the rise of word processors, email, fax machines, and the Internet changed everything.
