Re: tlug: Filtrix in Japanese/Linux version (fwd)

["Eric S. Standlee" <fwiw3980@example.com>]

Thanks for this note Jonathan.  I sent my "add me to the 'will buy' list
at an affordable price" email.  I am sure that this product being
available would lower the "switch to linux" threshold one more notch.


Eric S. Standlee
Kashihara City, Nara Prefecture, Japan
e-w.standlee@example.com
fwiw3980@example.com <default>

On Sat, 12 Sep 1998, Jonathan Byrne - 3Web wrote:

> Hi all,
> 
> I inquired about the possiblity of a Filtrix version:
> 
> 1) For Linux
> 2) That did double-byte languages
> 
> This is the reply that I got from them.  While they didn't say "No, never,"
> they did say they would want to clearly see how they could profit from it.  If
> you would buy something like this, please e-mail Kevin Dwan
> (kevin@example.com) and tell him you think it's a good idea.  Get anyone you
> know who could/would buy it to also mail him.
> 
> If you don't yet know about Filtrix, check it out at
> <http://www.blueberry.com>.  It imports lots of stuff, including Office 97,
> and exports various formats,too.  It runs on commercial UNIX platforms, but
> I'd love to see one for Linux.  An easy-to-use filtering system that could
> pull in MS Office docs and spit them out as Applix docs and do a good job of
> it, could be a real asset to Linux in making a run at corporate and SOHO
> sales.
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> 
> Jonathan Byrne
> Media and Content Section
> 3Web - Your Internet Solution! <URL:http://www.threeweb.ad.jp/index.en.html>
> 3Web Channel <URL: http://www.3web.co.jp/index.en.html>
> 
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1998 10:33:57 -0700
> From: Kevin Dwan <kevin@example.com>
> To: jq@example.com
> Cc: kevin@example.com
> Subject: Filtrix in Japanese/Linux version
> 
> You wrote:
> > 
> >Hi, 
> > 
> >I just ran across your web site and was intrigued by Filtrix, it sounds 
> like 
> >just the kind of thing I need. I use an RPM-based Linux distribution and 
> work 
> >in an office full of Windows machines running MS Office 97. I also have 
> the 
> >Japanese version of ApplixWare (4.3.7) which I use for those times when my 
> >standby Xemacs just isn't quite enough. However, it's ability to import MS 
> >Office documents is limited to the (very) obsolete 6.0 format, and it
> doesn't 
> >even do that very well. A utility such as Filtrix could perhaps be just what 
> >I'm looking for, if it ran on Linux. Are you considering possibly 
> releasing a 
> >Linux version? 
> > 
> >Also, does Filtrix have any difficulty dealing with documents containing 
> >double-byte characters? A great deal of the documents I handle are in 
> >Japanese, and the ability to read a Japanese MS Word document and export 
> it as 
> >a Japanese Applix document would be very important. 
> > 
> >Finally, is there any possibility that an MS PowerPoint import filter might 
> >become part of Filtrix? 
> > 
> >Thank you very much, 
> > 
> >Jonathan Byrne 
> >Media and Content Section 
> >3Web - Your Internet Solution! <URL:http://www.threeweb.ad.jp/index.en.html> 
> >3Web Channel <URL: http://www.3web.co.jp/index.en.html>
> ==================================================
> I just received a very similar inquiry from Scott Stone, head of development
> for TurboLinux.
> 
> We license our filters to Applix. I don't know why they don't release them
> with
> the Japanese version of their product. They do seem to want to produce their
> own Word filters rather than ours--perhaps that's the reason. 
> 
> We actually have gone to some pains to reduce the Unicode (16-bit) characters
> in Word 97 to 8-bit to allow filtering with 8-bit applications. I don't
> imagine
> allowing 16-bit character upport for Word 97, Applix Words, and perhaps
> FrameMaker would be a major job, though it wouldn't be trivial, but it's
> certainly not the kind of project Blueberry would want to undertake without
> very firm understanding of how we'd profit from it.
> 
> We don't have any plans to add MS Power Point filters to our product. We
> sometimes get requests, but our development resources have to go to more
> broadly-based formats, such as XML/PNG.
> 
> Thank you for your interest.
>  
> Kevin Dwan            voice: 707-829-5443             
> Blueberry Software        fax: 707-829-5380 
> 260 Petaluma Avenue        Internet: kevin@example.com 
> Sebastopol, CA 95472        <http://www.blueberry.com>http://www.blueberry.com
> 

--------------------------------------------------------------
Next Nomikai: 18 September, 19:30 Tengu TokyoEkiMae 03-3275-3691
Next Meeting: 10 October, Tokyo Station Yaesu central gate 12:30
--------------------------------------------------------------
Sponsor: PHT, makers of TurboLinux http://www.pht.co.jp