Re: Pc v. Mac

["Smith, Martin" <smithmr -at- ENCORP -dot- COM>]

A few years ago I converted all of my manuals from Mac to PC, which
consisted of Frame, Photoshop, Illustrator, and assorted EPS files.

Macs encode each file with a file type in creator code in lieu of the
extensions used to differentiate different types of files on the PC. The
first step in Mac to PC conversion is to map these file type and creator
codes to an equivalent extension at the end of the file name.
Fortunately I found an FTP program on the internet that renamed the
files automatically. I used this program to copy all of the files from
the mac to the server. I then copied them from the server to the PC.

The windows versions Frame, Photoshop, and Illustrator had no problems
opening the former Macintosh files. However, because I had to rename all
of the files, Frame cross reference links to other files as well as
links to imported graphics were all broken. (Mine was a UNIX server so
the FTP program also stripped out all of the spaces in the file names.)
Fixing these minor problems simply involved opening each manual and
assisting Frame in locating all of the graphics that had been imported
by reference and fixing all of the broken cross references.

Another note: When working with EPS files you should be aware that Macs
and Windows PCs use different formats for the preview images--TIF in
case of the PC, PICT in case of the Mac. I used the GhostView PostScript
interpreter to create new previews for the EPS files.

I figure that fixing these minor details consumed one or two days per
manual.

So as not to offend anyone, I've been happy working on Macintosh,
Windows, and UNIX (even NEXT) computers over the years. My choice of
computers simply depends on what the developers are using. If I had to
choose, I'd have to say that the NEXT computers were my favorite. I've
always regretted the fact that the NextStep OS didn't gain a wider
acceptance in the market. Since that time I've never been able to get
the voice out of my head that says, in a sultry British accent, "your
printer is out of paper, your printer cover is open..."

> Martin R. Smith
> Technical Writer / Audiophile
> ENCORP: The Energy Automation Company, http://www.encorp.com
> (970) 686-2017 x 223


-----Original Message-----
From: Bill Fetzner [mailto:BFetzner -at- ETCCONNECT -dot- COM]
Sent: Wednesday, June 30, 1999 8:36 AM
To: TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
Subject: Re: Pc v. Mac

...Does anyone have any experience or firm figures on performing such
conversion for Frame, Page and Word documents? Some have suggested that
there is no reason to worry about compatibility between platforms for
these
applications today, but what about older versions? How old?...


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