Post #125,958
11/16/03 11:54:52 PM
|
Converting MSWorks files to something useful
Ok here is the situation, I am on a team at college. We are sharing documents via email. One team member has MSWorks, but she doesn't know the version. I gave her OpenOffice.Org 1.1 on a CDR to use, but she is still using MSWorks for some reason. I told her a few times to save in Rich Text Format (RTF) so the rest of us can read her documents, but she still sends in WPS format. Office 2000 tries to convert the WPS format, but results in unreadable garbage. OOo doesn't do MSWork formats, D'oh!
Microsoft retired the conversion package for Office 97/2000/XP, and instead requires the Office 2003 Resource Kit to download instead for the converters. [link|http://www.microsoft.com/office/ork/2003/tools/BoxA07.htm|http://www.microsoft.../tools/BoxA07.htm] I downloaded it, but it said I need a newer version of Windows to run it. Double D'oh!
I assume it is either Works 4.0 or earlier. She isn't computer literate and cannot tell me which versions she has of the OS and the MSWorks version. I don't think she knows how to save in RTF format or else she'd have done it already. She cannot read Word documents for some reason, they cause blue screens on her system when she opens them. So I gave her OOo to use instead of MSWorks because she had a dialup, I had to burn a CDR for her and create an autoplay file to start the setup.exe program.
Please tell me there are third party converters out there that can convert MSWorks WPS files to something that OOo and Office 2000 can read.
"Lady I only speak two languages, English and Bad English!" - Corbin Dallas "The Fifth Element"
|
Post #125,961
11/17/03 12:26:22 AM
|
Save in RTF
If she can't do something that simple, she needs to stick with Works.
This is an example of "there is an obvious solution that is correct".
-drl
|
Post #126,037
11/17/03 11:23:09 AM
|
I am saving in RTF
to send documents to her. Now if she would only return the favor...
"Lady I only speak two languages, English and Bad English!" - Corbin Dallas "The Fifth Element"
|
Post #125,980
11/17/03 3:26:54 AM
|
If you've got a copy of Works (ack, ptui!)
Then open the document in that and cut'n'paste it into Word.
Peter
[link|http://www.debian.org|Shill For Hire]
[link|http://www.kuro5hin.org|There is no K5 Cabal]
[link|http://guildenstern.dyndns.org|Blog]
|
Post #126,036
11/17/03 11:22:30 AM
|
If I had a copy I would
but I tend to avoid MSWorks and stuff like that. I am even trying to switch from MSOffice 2000 to OpenOffice.Org 1.1 and I have both installed on my system.
"Lady I only speak two languages, English and Bad English!" - Corbin Dallas "The Fifth Element"
|
Post #126,058
11/17/03 12:57:35 PM
|
Problem is I need the file tonight for class
The only place I found an affordable copy of MSWorks is here:
[link|http://www.5dollarsoftware.com/miwo40andmo.html|http://www.5dollarso.../miwo40andmo.html]
Not even sure if she is running 4.0, is there a later version?
"Lady I only speak two languages, English and Bad English!" - Corbin Dallas "The Fifth Element"
|
Post #126,059
11/17/03 12:58:55 PM
|
My Dimension 8300 shipped with 7.0
Peter
[link|http://www.debian.org|Shill For Hire]
[link|http://www.kuro5hin.org|There is no K5 Cabal]
[link|http://guildenstern.dyndns.org|Blog]
|
Post #125,990
11/17/03 8:13:03 AM
|
Just TELL her how to do it.
Say: "Go to the 'File' menu, click 'Save As' -- NOT plain 'Save'! -- then click on the drop-down box at the bottom of the dialog, select 'RTF format', click 'OK', and you're done!" If she's too stupid to do that, then shoot her, because she's too stupid to live.
Which, BTW, considering the fact that she's apparently unable to click on the 'Help' menu and then on the 'About' item, and READ what fucking version she's using, seems to be the case anyway -- so just shoot her to start with, and then you'll be rid of *that* particular problem...
HTH!
[link|mailto:MyUserId@MyISP.CountryCode|Christian R. Conrad]
(I live in Finland, and my e-mail in-box is at the Saunalahti company.)
Resident [link|http://z.iwethey.org/forums/render/content/show?contentid=119792|zIWETHEY pilkunnussija]
|
Post #126,035
11/17/03 11:20:01 AM
|
I did tell her how to do it
she either ignored my instructions, or forgot, or didn't think about it and used the Works format anyway. I also gave her a copy of OpenOffice.Org 1.1 and instructions on how to save as a "Word 97/2000/XP" format. So she uses MSWorks instead, FBog!
"Lady I only speak two languages, English and Bad English!" - Corbin Dallas "The Fifth Element"
|
Post #126,038
11/17/03 11:25:49 AM
|
Sounds like it's the firearms solution, then.
Peter
[link|http://www.debian.org|Shill For Hire]
[link|http://www.kuro5hin.org|There is no K5 Cabal]
[link|http://guildenstern.dyndns.org|Blog]
|
Post #126,060
11/17/03 12:59:14 PM
|
Some people are not as computer literate as we are
she is a Manager of a Fast Food Place nearby me, barely knows how to use a computer I suspect. I sent her another email on how to save as a RTF document. Hope she understands it this time.
"Lady I only speak two languages, English and Bad English!" - Corbin Dallas "The Fifth Element"
|
Post #126,084
11/17/03 2:11:00 PM
|
Let her flunk if she won't cooperate.
"All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever."
1 Peter 1:24-25
|
Post #126,123
11/17/03 4:18:18 PM
11/17/03 4:18:51 PM
|
Re: Some people are not as computer literate as we are
Mabye she just wants to - uhhuhhuh - like, do you udhuhhuh - and this is just a way of establishing propinquity. So give her the works, dude!
-drl
Edited by deSitter
Nov. 17, 2003, 04:18:51 PM EST
|
Post #126,224
11/18/03 12:09:47 AM
|
She sent the document again as an OOo document
lucky for me I had OOo installed and converted to a Word 97/2000/XP document and sent it to the rest of the team.
"Lady I only speak two languages, English and Bad English!" - Corbin Dallas "The Fifth Element"
|
Post #126,668
11/19/03 1:20:20 AM
|
At least that's progress. Of a sorts.
Is it enough to love
Is it enough to breathe
Somebody rip my heart out
And leave me here to bleed
| |
Is it enough to die
Somebody save my life
I'd rather be Anything but Ordinary
Please
| -- "Anything but Ordinary" by Avril Lavigne. |
|
Post #126,670
11/19/03 3:01:39 AM
|
One more problem now
OOo doesn't seem to have a Grammar Check. :( Office 2000 does. This is really needed to get a good grade. I guess she can email the document to me, and I can use Word 2000 to Grammar Check it and send it back to her?
"Lady I only speak two languages, English and Bad English!" - Corbin Dallas "The Fifth Element"
|
Post #126,687
11/19/03 10:07:38 AM
|
Is there NONE among you who can do that "manually" ??? (new thread)
Created as new thread #126686 titled [link|/forums/render/content/show?contentid=126686|Is there NONE among you who can do that "manually" ???]
[link|mailto:MyUserId@MyISP.CountryCode|Christian R. Conrad]
(I live in Finland, and my e-mail in-box is at the Saunalahti company.)
Resident [link|http://z.iwethey.org/forums/render/content/show?contentid=119792|zIWETHEY pilkunnussija]
|
Post #126,784
11/19/03 11:24:11 PM
|
Do it for her.
Grammar checking is not foolproof. Ever wonder why many of its suggestions are "this may be" or "this could be"? Before Microsoft put it into Word, grammar checking packages included documentation on how it works and when it doesn't. Its suggestions are rarely recommendations and rarely definitive.
Wade.
Is it enough to love
Is it enough to breathe
Somebody rip my heart out
And leave me here to bleed
| |
Is it enough to die
Somebody save my life
I'd rather be Anything but Ordinary
Please
| -- "Anything but Ordinary" by Avril Lavigne. |
|
Post #126,825
11/20/03 10:26:31 AM
|
I gave her that option
to send it to me after she finishes writing it so I can check it for her in Word 2000.
To be honest, in Grade School I didn't have very good English teachers and they never helped me learn how to correct my mistakes. Not even sure if they cared about it or not. I got picked on a lot in school and it distracted me from learning. This continued on into Junior High and High School, until I finally moved out of the Hazelwood School Disctrict and into a St. Louis Public Magnet School.
"Lady I only speak two languages, English and Bad English!" - Corbin Dallas "The Fifth Element"
|
Post #126,833
11/20/03 12:02:43 PM
|
Bad education ( was Re: I gave her that option)
To be honest, in Grade School I didn't have very good English teachers and they never helped me learn how to correct my mistakes. Not even sure if they cared about it or not. I got picked on a lot in school and it distracted me from learning. This continued on into Junior High and High School, until I finally moved out of the Hazelwood School Disctrict and into a St. Louis Public Magnet School. That seems to be a failing of public schools sometimes. I was so good at spelling and vocabulary that they jumped me into an Honor's English Course in High School. Unfortunately, I never learned the basics, Grammar, basic English, punctuation, etc. I spent years making up for that, because they assumed if I was good at two things I was good at all of it. Ah well... Nightowl >8# "The difference between being immature and child-like is that one is what you are, and one is what you choose to be."
Comment by Nightowl {O,O}
|
Post #126,844
11/20/03 1:53:03 PM
|
Not a failing of public schools
it's a failing of his teachers and perhaps his parents.
I went to public school and I understand English grammar extremely well.
NB - the best way to improve one's grammar (and spelling, and punctuation) is to read a lot of books.
--\n-------------------------------------------------------------------\n* Jack Troughton jake at consultron.ca *\n* [link|http://consultron.ca|http://consultron.ca] [link|irc://irc.ecomstation.ca|irc://irc.ecomstation.ca] *\n* Kingston Ontario Canada [link|news://news.consultron.ca|news://news.consultron.ca] *\n-------------------------------------------------------------------
|
Post #126,845
11/20/03 1:58:34 PM
|
Re: Not a failing of public schools
it's a failing of his teachers and perhaps his parents. I went to public school and I understand English grammar extremely well. Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that all public schools fail at this. It just seems that several in St. Louis have so far, so maybe I should have said it seems to be a failing of our local schools. NB - the best way to improve one's grammar (and spelling, and punctuation) is to read a lot of books. I used to read all the time and still do, which is probably why I had a college level spelling and vocabulary in 8th grade. :) I agree, that really helps. Nightowl >8# "The difference between being immature and child-like is that one is what you are, and one is what you choose to be."
Comment by Nightowl {O,O}
|
Post #126,851
11/20/03 2:15:40 PM
|
Failing of teachers and parents
My father is a poor speller, my mother isn't that much better. I never got any help from them on homework anyway, I always had to do it myself and try and teach myself. Teachers never did seem to have an interest in helping me do better in English, only told me that I did it wrong, but not the right way to do it. So I got red pencil and red pens scratching my mistakes, but never what the corrected way would be. I was never encouraged to do better or even helped to learn to do better. Many students were just like me anyway, so it seemed normal for the teachers to do that. We were told that we would never improve and would have bad English skills our whole lives.
"Lady I only speak two languages, English and Bad English!" - Corbin Dallas "The Fifth Element"
|
Post #126,853
11/20/03 2:18:26 PM
|
Re: Failing of teachers and parents
Many students were just like me anyway, so it seemed normal for the teachers to do that. We were told that we would never improve and would have bad English skills our whole lives. To some degree, I agree with that, although my mom worked hard with me on my reading and spelling and vocabulary, so I was good at that one. But my grammar was so bad my English teacher told me that I would NEVER become a writer, which infuriated me to no end. When I finally learned grammar later, and got my first poem published, I mailed a copy of it to her with a note, "Never say Never." Nightowl >8# "The difference between being immature and child-like is that one is what you are, and one is what you choose to be."
Comment by Nightowl {O,O}
|
Post #126,951
11/20/03 9:17:03 PM
|
Like I said
the best way to improve it is to read a lot of good proper english. Read some novels. They are both entertaining and educational (at least, they are if they're actually good novels). Read some Heinlen: his English is impeccable and he's a good storyteller. LOtR is another good one for high entertainment value and great English. Go see some Shakespeare; while it's not the same as Modern English, it's fantastic English, and when performed well his plays are amazing. Go get some Branagh and some Olivier productions of Shakespeare on film; I really liked Olivier's production of Henry V.
When I was learning French, I read French newspapers (Le Journal de Montréal, La Presse, sometimes Le Devoir) every day. It was very slow going at first, but after a year or two I could read almost everything I wanted to at quite a decent clip. It also helped my verbal comprehension a lot, and even my ability to speak because I was getting a handle on how verbs worked.
--\n-------------------------------------------------------------------\n* Jack Troughton jake at consultron.ca *\n* [link|http://consultron.ca|http://consultron.ca] [link|irc://irc.ecomstation.ca|irc://irc.ecomstation.ca] *\n* Kingston Ontario Canada [link|news://news.consultron.ca|news://news.consultron.ca] *\n-------------------------------------------------------------------
|
Post #127,034
11/21/03 10:00:39 AM
|
Good advice
The more you read, the more you get exposed to the written word, the better you will write.
-----------------------------------------
It is much harder to be a liberal than a conservative. Why?
Because it is easier to give someone the finger than it is to give them a helping hand.
Mike Royko
|
Post #126,984
11/21/03 4:35:57 AM
|
Actually, Norm, your grammar is quite good.
Coherent, complete sentences; Full agreement in tense and number; Properly punctuated; etc etc. Basically if you can post consistently and frequently the text you do post, then I really doubt you need a grammer checker.
Wade.
Is it enough to love
Is it enough to breathe
Somebody rip my heart out
And leave me here to bleed
| |
Is it enough to die
Somebody save my life
I'd rather be Anything but Ordinary
Please
| -- "Anything but Ordinary" by Avril Lavigne. |
|
Post #127,048
11/21/03 10:39:38 AM
11/21/03 10:40:09 AM
|
Believe me, it is not perfect
just ask CRConrad who is always on my case about my Gramar and Spelling.
Even with Word 2000, I still make mistakes. Sometimes I capitalize when I shouldn't, sometimes I use the wrong word, sometimes I use "Get" and it is supposed to be formal, sometimes I forget to use a Semicolon, etc.
Edit: typo in title.
"Lady I only speak two languages, English and Bad English!" - Corbin Dallas "The Fifth Element"
Edited by orion
Nov. 21, 2003, 10:40:09 AM EST
|
Post #127,233
11/22/03 6:24:33 AM
|
Perfect is subjective.
Is it enough to love
Is it enough to breathe
Somebody rip my heart out
And leave me here to bleed
| |
Is it enough to die
Somebody save my life
I'd rather be Anything but Ordinary
Please
| -- "Anything but Ordinary" by Avril Lavigne. |
|
Post #127,540
11/25/03 10:11:18 AM
|
Do not use a grammar checker.
Read and understand [link|http://www.bartleby.com/141/|this] instead.
If your grammar is so bad that you need a grammar checker, a grammar checker isn't going to help.
Peter
[link|http://www.debian.org|Shill For Hire]
[link|http://www.kuro5hin.org|There is no K5 Cabal]
[link|http://guildenstern.dyndns.org|Blog]
|
Post #127,624
11/25/03 5:17:25 PM
|
use a grammar checker.
I put the 'sentence':
They be drunk
into Word 2000
it recommended
They done be drunk
what more could you ask for?
A
Play I Some Music w/ Papa Andy
Saturday 8 PM - 11 PM ET
All Night Rewind 11 PM - 5 PM
Reggae, African and Caribbean Music
[link|http://wxxe.org|Tune In]
|
Post #127,627
11/25/03 5:36:50 PM
|
My point precisely :)
Peter
[link|http://www.debian.org|Shill For Hire]
[link|http://www.kuro5hin.org|There is no K5 Cabal]
[link|http://guildenstern.dyndns.org|Blog]
|
Post #127,679
11/26/03 10:18:50 AM
|
Fragment - Please Consider Revising
Play I Some Music w/ Papa Andy
Saturday 8 PM - 11 PM ET
All Night Rewind 11 PM - 5 PM
Reggae, African and Caribbean Music
[link|http://wxxe.org|Tune In]
|
Post #127,694
11/26/03 12:07:27 PM
|
Word's Grammar Checker Can Bite Me
It's got an obsession with the passive voice that would turn every document into a testosterone-fuelled, eye-poppingly active love fest, given half a chance.
Also, it's written by Americans, so is largely wrong and lacks style.
Peter
[link|http://www.debian.org|Shill For Hire]
[link|http://www.kuro5hin.org|There is no K5 Cabal]
[link|http://guildenstern.dyndns.org|Blog]
|
Post #127,709
11/26/03 1:46:38 PM
|
It also knows when to use "its" vs "it's".
Which you, apparently, have yet to learn.
But I agree on its silliness with the passive voice.
Cheers,
Ben
"good ideas and bad code build communities, the other three combinations do not"
- [link|http://archives.real-time.com/pipermail/cocoon-devel/2000-October/003023.html|Stefano Mazzocchi]
|
Post #127,711
11/26/03 1:53:03 PM
|
...
"It has got an obsession"
"It is written by Americans"
He's using contractions, not possessives.
Regards,
-scott anderson
"Welcome to Rivendell, Mr. Anderson..."
|
Post #127,719
11/26/03 2:02:38 PM
|
D'oh
I had mis-read the first as a possessive, not a contraction. And me own mother wuz a teecher, to. I shud no beter.
/me hangs his head in shame.
Ben
"good ideas and bad code build communities, the other three combinations do not"
- [link|http://archives.real-time.com/pipermail/cocoon-devel/2000-October/003023.html|Stefano Mazzocchi]
|
Post #127,731
11/26/03 2:26:56 PM
|
Thanks for another 18 minutes of entertainment
===
Implicitly condoning stupidity since 2001.
|
Post #127,744
11/26/03 3:32:42 PM
|
Unhappy to oblige
"good ideas and bad code build communities, the other three combinations do not"
- [link|http://archives.real-time.com/pipermail/cocoon-devel/2000-October/003023.html|Stefano Mazzocchi]
|
Post #127,754
11/26/03 5:23:44 PM
|
You should learn to read faster ;-)
|
Post #127,756
11/26/03 5:49:54 PM
|
Dude, check his timestamps
It also knows when to use "its" vs "it's". #127709 - (ben_tilly) - 2003-11-26 13:46:38 [Reply]
... #127711 - (admin) - 2003-11-26 13:53:03 [Reply]
D'oh #127719 - (ben_tilly) - 2003-11-26 14:02:38 [Reply] Well damn, 16 minutes. ===
Implicitly condoning stupidity since 2001.
|
Post #127,770
11/26/03 7:02:29 PM
|
Seriously, for someone who shows some signs of intelligence
... the consistency with which you misunderstand anything inconvenient to you is quite amazing.
--
[link|mailto:greg@gregfolkert.net|greg],
[link|http://www.iwethey.org/ed_curry|REMEMBER ED CURRY!] @ iwethey
|
Post #127,779
11/26/03 8:18:18 PM
|
Would have been shorter, but I was busy.
"good ideas and bad code build communities, the other three combinations do not"
- [link|http://archives.real-time.com/pipermail/cocoon-devel/2000-October/003023.html|Stefano Mazzocchi]
|
Post #127,805
11/26/03 10:59:07 PM
|
Powered by nothing at all!
--
[link|mailto:greg@gregfolkert.net|greg],
[link|http://www.iwethey.org/ed_curry|REMEMBER ED CURRY!] @ iwethey
|
Post #127,827
11/27/03 8:54:27 AM
|
No, we don't know what it means either.
|
Post #127,835
11/27/03 9:54:03 AM
|
I'm sure everyone who made this game is dead by now.
--
[link|mailto:greg@gregfolkert.net|greg],
[link|http://www.iwethey.org/ed_curry|REMEMBER ED CURRY!] @ iwethey
|
Post #127,842
11/27/03 11:15:12 AM
|
Ha!
Try again, sucker!
Peter
[link|http://www.debian.org|Shill For Hire]
[link|http://www.kuro5hin.org|There is no K5 Cabal]
[link|http://guildenstern.dyndns.org|Blog]
|
Post #127,853
11/27/03 1:10:09 PM
|
My last instructor said about the passive voice
"When you read your paper and you start to sound like Yoda, change it!"
"Lady I only speak two languages, English and Bad English!" - Corbin Dallas "The Fifth Element"
|
Post #127,861
11/27/03 1:17:03 PM
|
"Don't let it happen again!"
-drl
|
Post #127,892
11/27/03 8:25:38 PM
|
Er.. "It shouldn't be allowed to happen again", that is.
|
