[comp.sys.ibm.pc] Smart Ascii

raulin@tdl.UUCP (Raulin Olivera) (05/25/89)

My boss asked me today about what "Smart Ascii" meant.  We are looking
at standardizing word processors for the office.  A manager received
some literature from Office Writer which says that it can translate
"Smart Ascii".  We have Office Writer 6.0 but this is apparently one
of the add on features of 6.1.  Some word processor document conversion
into Office Writer eliminates some of the desirable control codes.
Does Smart Ascii contain control codes?

		-Thanx

			=Ralo->

everett@hpcvlx.HP.COM (Everett Kaser) (05/25/89)

> / raulin@tdl.UUCP (Raulin Olivera) /  4:14 pm  May 24, 1989 /
>My boss asked me today about what "Smart Ascii" meant.  We are looking

"smart ascii"  sounds like a Polish wise guy...

(say it out loud a couple of times, you'll get it :-)

Everett Kaser
!hplabs!hp-pcd!everett
everett%hpcvlx@hplabs.hp.com

davidr@hplsla.HP.COM (David M. Reed) (05/27/89)

I wonder if the "Smart ASCII" is similar to what MicroSoft and others tout
as RTF (Rich Text Format).  This is supposed to be a method for saving a
document in plain ASCII format that will still contain most of your formatting
codes (bold, italics, indent, etc.).  From a MicroSoft document (Word 4.0
Application Note, dated 9/15/88):

   Rich Text Format (RTF) is a standard that makes moving text between
   applications easier.  With RTF, users can transfer text from one 
   application to another and not lose any formatting. ... Text and format
   instructions are saved in 7-bit ASCII format so that they are easy to
   read, easy to translate into other application formats, and can be sent
   over virtually any communications link.