Atex (word processing)
Atex is a word processing and editing system for daily newspapers, which was founded in the 1970s and sold from 1983 to the 1990s by the Kodakt subsidiary of the same name, which comprised both the terminal hardware and the software as an integrated IT structure. Atex is one of the first generation of computer-aided systems that replaced manuscript paper in German newspaper publishers and made it possible for the editors to enter text directly into the typesetting system.
Atex is command-oriented, a graphic representation of the sentence ( WYSIWYG ) was not possible at every workstation during the main period of the system's expansion because of the high computing load. Atex used manufacturer-bound, proprietary keyboards and screens that were connected to a central computer. Matching Chinese keyboards at a much lower price did not come onto the market until the early 1990s under the name Xeta (backwards Atex).
Main functions
On the one hand, Atex made it possible to capture and mark up the text and, on the other hand, it mapped the editorial workflow: the texts were passed on to the respective processing stations (department management, proofreading) and finally exposed via a defined sequence chain. In addition to the actual text marking using formatting tags, the program also allowed newspaper-like column breaks for individual articles and full-page breaks by specifying coordinates, i.e. no mouse operation or drag-and-drop . Another Atex function was the storage and management of incoming reports from the news agencies.
Users
In Germany, Atex was used in many newspaper offices, for example the Abendzeitung , the Bergedorfer Zeitung and the Süddeutsche Zeitung . From the mid-1990s, the system was replaced on the market by graphically oriented solutions with non-proprietary hardware. The Berliner Tagesspiegel only replaced the system with Hermes between 2001 and 2002.
Companies
Atex continues to exist as a company name. The company, which is now independent of Kodak, still offers editing software today. At the end of 2006, Atex took over the media division of Unisys for 50 million dollars. This makes Atex the world's largest provider of content management systems.
In addition to the company's own Prestige editorial system, the Unisys Hermes system will also be continued. Both systems can integrate Indesign , Prestige also QuarkXPress . Atex took over the 160 employees in the Hermes development department in Milan .
