Editing Wang Laboratories (section)

===={{anchor|1200|1220|1222}}The Wang 1200====
Wang's first attempt at a [[word processor]] was the Wang 1200, announced in late 1971<ref>
{{cite web   |url=https://www.computerworld.com/article/2492619/top-10-technologies-of-the-past-45-years.html
   |title=Top 10 technologies of the past 45 years
   |quote=Wang 1200 (1971)
   |date=October 22, 2012}}</ref> but not available until 1972.<ref>{{cite web
|url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/wang
|quote=began producing its first word processor, the Wang 1200, in 1972   
|title=Wang, An}}</ref> The design consisted of the logic of a Wang 500 calculator hooked up to an OEM-manufactured [[IBM Selectric]] typewriter for keying and printing, and dual cassette decks for storage. [[Harold Koplow]], who had written the [[microcode]] for the Wang 700 and its derivative the Wang 500 rewrote the microcode to perform word processing functions instead of numerical calculations.

The operator of a Wang 1200 typed text on a conventional IBM Selectric keyboard; when the Return key was pressed, the line of text was stored on a cassette tape. One cassette held roughly 20 pages of text and could be "played back" (e.g., the text retrieved) by printing the contents on [[Continuous stationery|continuous-form paper]] in the 1200 typewriter's "print" mode. The stored text could also be edited using keys on a simple, six-key array. Basic editing functions included Insert, Delete, Skip (character, line), and so on.

The Wang 1200 machine was the precursor of the Wang Office Information System (OIS).