Word 5 - Looking for Specific Example Document

sam256

New Tinkerer
Oct 14, 2025
13
14
3
This is both a pretty random question and a shot in the dark, but here goes.

When I was a kid we had Word 5 (or maybe 5.1) on our Mac Plus. I spent a lot of time learning to use it, and that included a lot of time going through various pieces of documentation. I have this vivid memory of an example file that was referenced in the docs. I can't remember if it was an actual document on a disk or just something that there were screenshots of in the documentation. I also can't be sure if it was official Microsoft documentation or something third party, though I feel pretty sure it was official.

In any event, the thing about the sample file was that it was an article about what to do if you were flying a plane and there was a snake in the cockpit (it could have been a bee, but I'm pretty sure it was a snake). And the bottom line of the article was -- don't worry about the snake; just fly the plane.

For whatever reason, that particular lesson--which I think actually has a lot of general applicability in life--stuck with me, which is a little weird since it was just a sample article in a sample document on how to use Word. In any event, the other day I tried to see if I could find it online somewhere. And I can't. I looked at all the documentation on Macintosh Garden, as well as the sample files that came with Word and, while they are in the same vein -- i.e., attempts to look like "real" documents with real content -- I can't find that one.

Does this trigger a memory in any one else? Does anyone know where that file is? Maybe I'm hallucinating, but my dad remembers it too. Ha.
 

sam256

New Tinkerer
Oct 14, 2025
13
14
3
I've actually spent an embarrassing amount of time going through those and can't find it. The sample documents from Word 4.0 though did trigger quite a memory -- which makes me think maybe that was the version -- though i still can't find that document. But those samples are worth looking at anyway! The newsletter "Far Out" -- which was an alien newspaper, and the Journal article on "the periphrastic 'do'" They don't make sample docs like that anymore :)
 

sam256

New Tinkerer
Oct 14, 2025
13
14
3
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