I can claim to have once had a very special version of XyWrite III, but I don't think I have the binary anywhere and I don't remember the exact details. Sometime in the late 1980s, I reported a bug to XyWrite tech support. To my astonishment, I got a call that evening from Dave Ericsson, who asked me if I had an hour or so to spare? You can imagine I said yes! He had figured out a fix and wanted to try it out immediately on my machine. He had me load the XyWrite programme into whatever was the DOS program that would let you do this, and he had me manually change some of the code. I don't remember how long this took, but the end result was, he had fixed the problem. It was extremely exciting! This was in the days when it wasn't common to exchange binaries via modem, as they were so slow -- mine was either 300 or 1200. It's possible this version is on some old hard disk somewhere, but unlikely. Needless to say, it was the most thrilling tech support call of my life! I think it was all still assembler in those days - - was there ever such a brain as his? Bill On Mon, 23 Feb 2026 at 18:35, xyquest xyghost <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: > Hello everyone, > I wanted to follow up on my previous message regarding my research into > the development history of XyWrite. I truly appreciate the feedback and > contributions I’ve received so far, and I’d like to share> versions I have collected so far. > Here’s the list of XyWrite versions I currently have: > ------------------------------ > *XyWrite II Plus:* > > - *1984 – v1.00* (DOS) – Introduced XPL – 70,016 bytes > - *1985 – v1.10* (splash screen shows 1.10 and 1.20) (DOS) – 80286 > optimization – 79,904 bytes > > *XyWrite III:* > > - *1986 – v3.041* (DOS) – Memory/window patch – 117,632 bytes > > *XyWrite III Plus:* > > - *1987 – v3.52* (DOS) – First retail Plus – 172,464 bytes > - *1988 – v3.54* (DOS) – Clone/page-line fixes – 178,754 bytes > - *1988 – v3.55* (DOS) – Peak newsroom stability – 180,690 bytes > - *1989 – v3.56* (DOS) – EMS 4.0 & NetWare – 181,506 bytes > - *1989 – v3.57* (DOS) – NetWare locking fixes – 182,882 bytes > - *1990 – v3.58b* (DOS) – Lean maintenance – 185,138 bytes > > *IBM Signature (Project J):* > > - *1991 – v1.00* (DOS) – IBM integration – 582,042 bytes > > *XyWrite 4 (XyQuest Return):* > > - *1993 – v4.014* (DOS) – LaserJet 4 support –> - *1994 – v4.018* (DOS) – Final official DOS –> > ------------------------------ > I’m continuing my efforts to document the architectural evolution> XyWrite, and I’d greatly appreciate any additional versions that anyone > might have access to — whether they are retail, beta, OEM, regional > variants, or minor revisions. > In particular, I’m looking for: > > - *Minor revisions* or lettered builds > - *OEM or enterprise editions* > - *Beta or pre-release builds* > - *Regional/localized versions* > - *Disk images with original timestamps intact* > > Every version is valuable for comparative analysis, and your contributions > are essential in helping preserve the history and technical aspects of > XyWrite. > If you have any versions that you’re able to share, or even if you know of > others that may be out there, I would be deeply grateful. As always, if you > prefer to respond privately, please feel free to do so. > Thank you once again to everyone who has already shared their knowledge > and contributed to this effort. Your support is helping build a more > complete technical record of XyWrite’s history. > Sincerely, > XYGHOST > ------------------------------ > *From:* xywrite-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <xywrite-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> on > behalf of xyquest xyghost <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> > *Sent:* Sunday, February 22, 2026 5:39 PM > *To:* xywrite@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <xywrite@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> > *Subject:* Archival Request – Seeking All XyWrite Versions for Code > Evolution Research > > Hello everyone, > As part of my ongoing research into the development history of XyWrite, I > am attempting to document and analyze the evolution of its executable code > across all major and minor releases. > To do this accurately, I am hoping to locate as many original binaries as > possible — including: > • Retail releases (all eras) > • Minor revisions and lettered builds > • OEM variants > • Newsroom or enterprise editions > • Beta or pre-retail builds > • IBM Signature / Project J variants > • Regional or localized releases > • Disk images with original timestamps intact > Even versions that may seem redundant (e.g., small letter revisions) are > extremely valuable for comparative analysis of: > • Toolchain changes > • Memory model transitions > • Overlay/linking strategies > • Optimization patterns > • Feature integrations and removals > • Bug-fix deltas between builds > If you have any versions in your personal archives and would be willing to > share copies for research and preservation purposes, I would be deeply > grateful. I am especially interested in maintaining original file dates and > untouched binary states. > This effort is strictly historical and technical in nature — focused on > documenting the architectural evolution of XyWrite across its lifetime. > If you prefer to respond privately, please feel free to do so. > Thank you to everyone who has already contributed knowledge and > corrections. Your expertise is helping build what I hope will become a > reliable technical record. > Sincerely, > XYGHOST358B > (Prefer to remain anonymous) > >