Path: utzoo!censor!geac!torsqnt!hybrid!scifi!bywater!uunet!gsm001!gsm
From: gsm@gsm001.uucp (Geoffrey S. Mendelson)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc
Subject: MacWrite I to Ascii Text
Message-ID: <1991Jan14.053552.27705@gsm001.uucp>
Date: 14 Jan 91 05:35:52 GMT
Organization: Geoffrey S. Mendelson -- Software Consulting
Lines: 42

I need a simple way of converting MacWrite I documents to Ascii Text.

I do the publishing work for a non profit group.  Most of the stuff is written
by a person with a Mac plus.  I have given him a modem and the software needed
to upload his docs to my unix system.  He only knows how to use MacWrite I and 
I don't want to ask him to learn (or buy) anything else.

What I need to do is convert his files to ASCII text, so that I can use them
on an IBM pc with Ventura Publisher.  I know that I could use pagemaker or 
Ventura on my Mac, but that involves a $500 expense that I don't need. 

Right now what I am doing is either retyping the document (ouch!) or
 
      a. Downloading to my Mac.
      b. Apple file transfer to MSDos Disk using MacWrite->RFT conversion.
      c. Word Perfect RFT to W.P. conversion
      d. Revising as necessary the document using Word Perfect.
      e. Saving the document as a W.P. 4.2 file or as Ascii Text.
      f. Reading the file from (e) with Ventrua.

Is there program that converts MacWrite I files to Ascii text?  Is there a
Macrite I option we are missing?

The program can run on either a Mac, MSDos, or Unix S5r3.  I would prefer that
it runs on the Mac so that he can translate the files before he sends them.

Any sugestions, comments, flames, etc are welcome. 

Thanks, Geoff.

Harware restrictions:

His Mac:   Mac Plus, 2 800k floppy drives. 1 Meg ram.
My Mac:    Mac Classic, 1 Superdrive, 2 40m Hard disks, 2 Meg ram.
P.C.       286 clone 1 meg ram, MSDos 4.01, 120m Hard disk, windows 3.0 (yeech)
Unix:      ESIX system V r3.2.d  (386 based)

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