Comparing Word Processors: A Writer's Perspective 
Word processing programs have come a long way since I first used WordStar on an old DEC CP/M machine back in the 80s. But despite the drastic difference between then and now, there is so little difference between today's offerings and those of three years ago. Word processing programs have more or less stagnated, and that has given small companies and open-source projects the advantage they needed to create excellent low-cost or free alternatives to the ubiquitous Microsoft Word.
Matzan, Jem. Jem Report, The (2004). Articles>Word Processing