Joe,
Microsoft Word (again, this works for Windows; I can't say whether it
will work on a Mac) will not only load in the .doc file _as styled
text_, but also does not object your doing a File -> Save, _even
though_ it is keeping up the charade by saving the file as a file
with the .doc filename extension but saving the file in RTF format!
Oi -- how ghastly!
If you think that's ghastly, I don't know what you are going to think
when I tell some interesting things about Microsoft WordPad related to
Word format (.doc) files and Rich Text Format (.rtf) files.
Everyone knows that the "default file type", for Microsoft WordPad both
for Opening and for Saving files is RTF, right? After all, that's what
it says (or seems to say) in the Wikipedia:
"WordPad is a simple word processor coming with almost all versions of
Microsoft Windows from Windows 95 upwards. It is more advanced than
Notepad, but not as advanced as Microsoft Word.... WordPad supports
Rich Text Format. This file format is the default format used by the
editor to store and load files. It also supports "Word for Windows 6.0",
which is forward compatible with Microsoft Word format."
--http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WordPad
Note that (according to the Wikipedia) although WordPad can Open (and
read) Microsoft Word (.doc) files, for WordPad "Rich Text Format [RTF]
... is the default format used ... to store and load files. So far
nothing unexpected or surprising.
But if that is true, then how do you explain such statements as the
following?::
"As you probably know, the default file type for a document created with
WordPad is Word for Windows 6.0 with its .doc file extension. This means
that every time you create a document in WordPad and then save it,
unless you specify a different file type in the Save As Type text box,
WordPad will automatically append the .doc extension and save it as a
Word document."
--http://www.elijournals.com/premier/showArticle.asp?aid=4349
"In WordPad the default file type is (.doc)._
--http://www.coease.com/openadvancedentry/openadvanced/6-datamanagement.html
"Wordpad's" default file type is ( .doc )...."
--http://www.cobbusa.com/advanced/todesign.htm
"By default, WordPad opens files that use the Microsoft Word version 6.0
format...."
--http://www.perkinscomm.com/newbie/convfile.htm
*
*"WordPad ... can open and save documents in Microsoft Word format (but
only Word 6 and Word 7)...."
--http://aroundcny.com/Technofile/texts/bkwordpad97.html
**Two things:
(1) I won't keep you in suspense as to how to resolve this discrepancy.
In Windows XP, WordPad (Microsoft's showcase RTF word processor) does
indeed use RTF as its "default file type." But that was not true of
Microsoft WordPad in Windows 95/98, which used Microsoft Word "doc"
files as its "default file type." (Thus if there's confusion between
.rtf files and .doc files, you can blame Microsoft!)
Wikipedia substantiates what I'm saying:
"WordPad was introduced for the first time in Windows 95, replacing the
Windows Write application, which came bundled with all previous versions
of Windows (version 3.1 and earlier).... WordPad for Windows XP cannot
save files in the .DOC format(only TXT or RTF), unlike WordPad for
Windows '98."
--http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WordPad
(2) My guess (and it's only a guess) is that Microsoft wanted to force
people to purchase Microsoft Word in order to create Microsoft Word
(.doc) files and that is why they removed the capability of saving files
in Word .doc format from WordPad (although WordPad is still able to Open
and read Microsoft Word .doc files). But what I find interesting is
that what Microsoft removed was earlier not just a feature, but a default!
So your statement that because Microsoft supports something now doesn't
mean that it will necessarily be supported in the future is justified.
I'll fully grant you that. But that's true of almost anything. (For
example, because of changes in REALbasic's XML format after RB 5.5.x,
some of the routines I wrote earlier no longer work, but I'm afraid that
"comes with the territory.")
BTW, I hope you'll forgive me for perhaps having some fun at your
expense. Since you are so rarely wrong on anything, I couldn't resist
taking advantage of the opportunity opened up to me to point out that
what you said wasn't really true. Microsoft Word did none of the things
you said it would do. <grin>
Warm regards,
Barry
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