Re: .doc files in emacs

[Joe Fineman]

Gary Wessle <phddas@yahoo.com> writes:

> can a microsoft .doc file be viewed/edited/converted/whatever by
> emacs?  if not, how do you people handle this file?

As others on this thread have pointed out, there are various utilities
that will convert a .doc file to a text file.  However, Word itself
will do that for you (File -> Save as -> Text).  Such a file can of
course be edited in Emacs, and that is useful as far as it goes.

But AFAIK there is no way to edit a .doc file in Emacs in such a way
that it remains a .doc file usable in Word.  I have tried it, and
often it has seemed to work for minor changes, but I gave up after
other users found that it corrupted the file in obscure ways.  I dare
say that Microsoft would be horrified at the thought, but such a
routine would improve my quality of life, as I am often called on to
edit .doc files, and do not enjoy doing so in Word.

Is a Word-to-TeX conversion program conceivable?
-- 
---  Joe Fineman    joe_f@verizon.net

||:  Happiness is no more than good health and a bad memory.  :||