[ILUG] tip of the day: Word files and Netscape

[Donncha O Caoimh]

I know you can use free software, but I was refering to the fact that:

The MS Word file format is a jealously guarded secret. Err, scratch
that. Even MS don't understand it. They recommend wvword as a reference.
I use Netscape to handle all my mail. Source isn't available, but
despite what people say about it it's a very capable mail reader.

Hmm.. this reminds me.
During the last arguement about free software vs propreitary it occured
to me that there's a certain hypocrisy at play. Perhaps that's not the
right word but it comes close.

It's my belief that Unix users pride themselves on using the right tool
for a job. That's why there are so many shell tools. Many do similar
jobs. 
You could do with a Perl script what grep does, but it would take longer
to write. A simple Awk script can do what sed does, but it's not always
appropriate.

But for some people, this "right tool for the job" mentality goes right
out the door when closed-source/propreitary software is mentioned. It's
not even a consideration.

I won't go on and rehash all the usual closed vs open source arguements. 
In the end, it comes down to what's important for you. If it's simply
functionality, then any application/product will do, but if it's
politics then you might be excluding a lot of potentially cost-saving
tools out there.

Donncha.


kevin lyda wrote:
> 
> On Wed, May 09, 2001 at 10:53:17AM +0100, Donncha O Caoimh wrote:
> > Blah blah blah, propreitary software, evil empire, blah blah blah..
> >
> > Anyway, for those of us who have to live in the real world, here's how
> > to get Abiword to open a Word file from any email your boss sends you:
> 
> i live in the real world and use free software for this - mutt uses my
> .mailcap file to see how to open word docs.  just add
> 
>     application/msword;abiword %s
> 
> to it.