Appleworks Dead At 23

News comes today of the death of an old friend, Appleworks. She was just 23, such a tragic loss. I remember well using the original AW on an Apple //c that our local Apple Users Group owned. I was club librarian at the time, responsible for keeping the database (in AW) of all the software disks we had. We also had a "disk of the month" each month and I was repsonsible for using the //c to copy those disks for those that wanted them.

Later, when I traded in my own //e for shiny "Woz edition" IIgs, I bought Appleworks GS and used it extensively in school to write papers, do diagrams, etc. Then when I had my Newton and my iMac, I used Clarisworks again after a brief dalliance with Windows and MS Works.

I now have the last version, AW 6, and I have to admit that it is becoming increasingly irrelevant. I use OpenOffice a lot now because the file formats don't need to be translated for Linux and Windows users like AW's ".cwk" files did.

Good-bye old friend. You've been a constant companion for almost 20 years, and I'll mourn your loss. You were the first office suite, and the best. Certainly the easiest to use!

Appleworks 6 is survived by three children, Pages, Numbers, and Keynote; six grandchildren, iTunes, iMovie, iPhoto, iDVD, GarageBand, and iWeb; and his faithful dogcow, Clarus. Memorial service was held in the Icon Garden at Apple Headquarters. In lieu of flowers, please take a moment to remember Clarus the dogcow. Moof!

A dogcow is what I want to be.

Pictured in dialogs,
Running through the weeds,
In and out of advertisements,
Loving my naughty deeds.

Feeling in black and white.

Over the edge of cliffs,
Out with the tide in the sea.
Living life to the fullest,
Sweet survival in 2 D.