Origins of the term 'WYSIWYG?

[Chuck Guzis]

The saying itself probably hearkens back to at least the 1940s.  That it
was made popular by Flip Wilson's Geraldine character is indisputable.

That common usage probably accounts for the computer use with respect to
word processing.   Were this not true, the term would be something like
WYSIWYP or WYSIWIP  (What you see is what is printed), which was the
point of the software.

--Chuck