golds@rlgvax.UUCP (Rich Goldschmidt) (05/27/88)
There are many word processors which can take a file produced with Word or WordPerfect, and convert it to the format the current package uses. This implies that the Word or WordPerfect format is known and available. Is this information public, or is it licensed from Micorsoft or WordPerfect? If it is public, does anyone out there have it, or know how to find it? I would like to build a converter for documents in these formats. I know that the WordStar 2000 format has been published, for example, in "File Formats for Popular PC Software - A programmer's Reference" by Jeff Walden, Wiley IBM PC Series, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., NY. Thanks... Rich Goldschmidt uunet!rlgvax!golds sun!sundc!rlgvax!golds rlgvax!golds@uunet.uu.net
willis@violet.berkeley.edu (Willis Johnson) (06/01/88)
I tried to respond directly to you but somewhere along the path your message got returned to me. I wrote to Word Perfect and they gave me a complete description of their file format. Just tell them that you need the information for conversion purposes, and that you won't make the information public. They were prompt and helpful when I called for info, as well. You'll need to decide whether you want to convert WP 4.2 or the new WP 5.0. They are QUITE different. You can expect a lot of people to use 4.2 until 1990, when it becomes officially obsolete (and support stops from WP Corp.). 5.0 requires a hard disk and most of its new features require AT LEAST hercules graphics. Microsoft is a whole other can of worms. In my experience they've been secretive and sometimes hostile to reasonable requests for information. Everything is a "proprietary trade secret." Like many others I know, I have decided not to offer any support for their products in my software (other than DOS, of course). Good luck! Willis Johnson willis@violet.BERKELEY.EDU
dow@wjh12.harvard.edu (Dominik Wujastyk) (06/02/88)
In article <10442@agate.BERKELEY.EDU> willis@violet.berkeley.edu (Willis Johnson) writes: > ... >Microsoft is a whole other can of worms. In my experience they've >been secretive and sometimes hostile to reasonable requests for >information. Everything is a "proprietary trade secret." Like many >others I know, I have decided not to offer any support for their >products in my software (other than DOS, of course). > I called MS on the phone and asked for the spec of RTF and they sent it to me straight away. Perhaps this was not typical, though? Dominik -- bitnet: user DOW on the bitnet node HARVUNXW arpanet: dow@wjh12.harvard.edu csnet: dow@wjh12.harvard.edu uucp: ...!ihnp4!wjh12!dow