There are only a small handful of items that made it into the Original
version of Microsoft Windows (v1.01) in 1985, and one of them was Notepad.
One of only two applications still with us today in Windows (Calculator
is the other), it has changed only slightly over time.

   The most basic features of Notepad have changed little, though find and
replace features were added sometime around the release of Windows 2000
and Windows Me. Basic search has always been in the program.

   Hitting "F5" has always added the current date and time, Wordwrap on/off
has always been a feature.

   I have always found notepad useful for many simple tasks. I've written
HTML in it, editied thousands of config files for all sorts of software,
and even hacked with it a bit. I've never had it crash out or lock up in
any version of windows, and it's easy to use.

   Ok, ok, I'll stop with the praise of Microsoft. At least Notepad
is more stable than word, eh?

   ...did I mention that I wrote this article in Notepad from windows 1.01,
running under Windows 2.03? See for yourself.