File Access Utilities

Cracking the Information Barrier

By Dr. Steve O'Neil, N'Fusion, Inc.

We seem to be at a crossroads in file formatting where there is still no real "standard" for storing and accessing data. While Microsoft appears to rule, even various versions of their same software programs are frequently incompatible. Add the reluctance of many large users to take the plunge on Windows 2000 or the Millennium Edition, and the scene becomes more confusing than ever. In addition, there are still many WordPerfect users, and, alas, some in the sciences, accounting, and legal professions that are mired in legacy DOS-based systems. Enter the Converter.

Beginning close to home, there are many Windows users who do not realize there are some file access capabilities built right into MS software's native attributes. Windows 2000, for example, can save Excel workbooks as Web pages (HTML), tab-delimited text, Excel 5.0/95 and 97, Quattro Pro, DOS, and dBase II, III, and IV. It can also save documents as Macintosh text or csv files. By the same token, Word 2000 can save information in HTML, Rich Text Format, text (including DOS or encoded), as well as Word 4.0, 5.0, and 5.1 for Macs, WordPerfect 5.0, 5.1, 5.x for Windows, and Works 4.0 for Windows are also options.

Nevertheless, there are always situations where we run into files we cannot access or that we need to translate into some other format. To get around this problem, several neat utilities are available to crack the information barrier. Adhering to my "free is best" philosophy, Uncle Bill himself, in all his generosity, has made available many Microsoft conversion tools which can be downloaded for the asking. The Microsoft Office Update site at http://www.1rs.com/012df-595 offers converters for Office 2000, Word converters for Word 6 and 95 users, text converters, Word 97/98/2000 import converters for the Macintosh, and viewers for Word 97 and 2000 on PCs using Windows 3.x, 95/98, or Windows NT. Excel, Quattro Pro, QuickBooks, and an Excel 2000 spreadsheet file viewer can also be downloaded here. Other converters and viewers are available for various flavors of Outlook, Access, and PowerPoint. All are free. You can also get Microsoft importers for Lotus cc:Mail Archives and Notes Mail at the same site.

The DataViz site was voted Best General Utility in the June 2000 ZD Net PDA Software Awards.

One of my personal favorites is DataViz's Conversions Plus. Get the lowdown and order for about $70 at http://www.1rs.com/012df-596. My version allows one to convert Macintosh formats to PC formats in the same category (e.g. word processing). It also lets you open spreadsheets (ClarisWorks, Excel, Works, Quattro Pro, and their Mac versions), Databases (dBase, Works, MAC FoxBASE and Fox Pro), Graphics (gif, tiff, jpeg, eps, and pict). It also provides Z, TAR, Zip, and Gzip compression as well as Binhex, MacBinary, MIME, and uuencode encoding. Conversions Plus 6.0 is also available in Europe, but list price there is 193.78 Euro--hmmm.

Two or three years ago, just viewing a CAD drawing meant having to purchase an expensive reader such as AutoCAD Lt. With increasing competition and a growing rebellion against proprietary solutions to perform even the simplest of tasks, cracks are appearing in the walls built up against free access. Most notable is the advent of CAD readers which have become increasingly common in the past year. One that works very well for me is Volo™ View Express from AutoDesk. Available as a free download at http://www.1rs.com/012df-597 , this product is a Web-enabled review and markup tool that provides access to DWG, DXF, and DWF formats. It can be run without having any other AutoCAD software installed on your machine. The newest version lets users markup design files, make precise measurements within a drawing, and print to any Windows-supported printer or plotting station.

Zipguy's Free PDF is a utility which allows you to create PDFs just by printing to a "Create PDF" printer.

Another neat tool for PC users is MacDrive 98. Available for about $65 from Media4 Productions, this package allows those running Windows 95, 98, and NT to access Mac-formatted 1.4 MB floppy disks. It even lets you right-click to access pop-up windows and access the applications inside. You can also use this software to open Mac media attached to a SCSI card or parallel port. This includes Iomega Jaz and Zip disks, SyQuest cartridges, CD-ROMs, hard drives, and optical devices. It works with MS Office, Appleworks, Adobe products, QuarkXpress, and other systems.

A final selection, useful when generating or posting reports, papers, procedures, or other text and images to the Web, is Free PDF, a utility which allows you to create PDFs by printing to a "create PDF" [Postscript] printer. It works with any Windows 9x/ME application, and it's free. Normally, in order to create PDF files, you must have either the full edition of Adobe Acrobat, or Acrobat Distiller. You still need these programs if you want to execute PDF hotlinks or PDF table of contents; however, having the ability to create PDFs alone is a big plus. For the full scoop, visit The Zipguy at http://www.1rs.com/012df-598.

Steve O'Neil, Ph.D. is President of N'Fusion, Inc., an editorial and Internet consultancy which aids technology companies in integrating their print and online strategies, improving advertising and branding accountability, and building end-to-end e-commerce solutions. The company is headquartered in the Tampa Bay, FL area with offices and affiliates throughout the US, Europe, and the Pacific Rim. Steve can be reached at stephenjo@earthlink.net or 727-742-9169.