Modernize WordPerfect’s interface, keep the powerful features that still make it the superior word processor, and preserve its perpetual-license option so former users and a new generation have a real alternative to subscription software.

I have been a WordPerfect user for decades. I was using it when WordPerfect was a new class at my high school, and by that point I had already used it long enough that I ended up teaching my WordPerfect teacher how to use parts of the program.

My family started using WordPerfect early, and I grew up with it. I continued using it for years and only drifted away when it became increasingly difficult to find and keep current. I was recently excited to discover that WordPerfect was still available and purchased it right away, even though the last major version was from 2021.

I still consider WordPerfect the superior word processor over any other choice, paid or open source.

The underlying program is excellent. WordPerfect gives me a level of control over documents and formatting that I do not get from other word processors, and features such as Reveal Codes remain genuinely useful rather than merely nostalgic.

What WordPerfect increasingly needs is not reinvention. It needs modernization around that strong core, particularly the user interface, integration with current Windows conventions and services, and continued compatibility improvements. I would love to see it look and feel more at home on a current computer without losing the features and control that make WordPerfect better than the alternatives.

I also think WordPerfect has an opportunity now that it did not have for many years. Microsoft no longer has quite the stranglehold on personal productivity software that it once did. I gave up on Microsoft Office long ago and have been using open-source alternatives instead. When I discovered WordPerfect was still available, that alone was enough to bring me back.

I suspect there are a lot of former WordPerfect users, and potential new ones, who simply do not realize that WordPerfect is still here. If more people knew they could still buy a powerful word processor outright instead of subscribing to one, I think many would take another look. Bringing the interface and overall integration up to current standards would make that return feel much more natural.

The perpetual-license model is also extremely important to me. I am willing to pay for worthwhile new versions of software. I have done that for years. I do not want to rent my word processor indefinitely just to keep using it.

There is an opportunity here for Corel to offer something increasingly rare: a mature, powerful word processor that is actively maintained, brought up to date, and that customers can still choose to own.

Please continue developing WordPerfect without sacrificing what makes it WordPerfect.