GFX@PSUVM.BITNET (11/28/88)
Word files themselves pose no problem since Microsoft provides a transfer protocol. Dayna drives seem to be a workable solution, but one drive cannot be the sole gate between clusters of Macs and PCs. Thanks to those who sent comments. If others want to join in, please e-mail and I'll update the summary. I'll post additional info once our system works (even more comments if it doesn't :-). Stephane summary begins: From: "R.Crispin - Psychology" <psych@watdcsu.uwaterloo.ca> We have been using a Dayna file for almost a year now. We use it to translate PC Word & WordPerfect files to the Mac. The software that comes with the machine is easy to use (MacLink by DataViz) and can handle everything we want except WP version 5.0 (an upgrade will soon be available). If you only need to translate PC Word to Mac Word then I would not buy the software since Word on the Mac can read and write both formats. In this case you just need to stick the diskette into the drive, load Word on the Mac and Open the file you want. From: Keith Ericson <keithe%tekgvs.gvs.tek.com@RELAY.CS.NET> One poor guy in our office had exactly this task to do - documents created on a Mac to be "re-done" on an AT-Clone. Based on his experience I can only wish you the best of luck and suggest Advil over regular aspirin. It was a truly frustrating experience, first in just getting the files from one machine to the other (we ended up using KERMIT, by the way, and the only real problem was getting the serial ports to talk to each other. KERMIT was the best part of _that_ sub-task). Then he found out that the format of the files is not the same between the Mac version and the AT-Clone version. I think he finally gave up in disgust. From: microsoft!stuartb@uunet.uu.net The Macintosh version of Microsoft Word, will read and write PC Word format files, so you should have no problem moving your drafts, to and from the Macintosh. [on networking] This is where a whole world of options opens up to you. My experience with the Dyna drive, is that it is an excellent way to move information from YOUR Mac to YOUR PC and back. It is a real pain in the preverbial xxx however to take your data to another Macintosh, that may or may not be in use at the time, and attempt to not unduely disturb the user of said Mac, while transfering YOUR files on THIER machine. At this time, probably (perhaps disputably) the best network for the Macintosh is AppleShare. However for the PC's, PC AppleShare, really isn't anything to sing and dance about. It will do basic file transfer however.