From: death@netcom.com (David Burrowes)
Subject: New file conversion software placed on cs.orst.edu
Keywords: PICT, rtf, conversion, fonts 
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  (408 241-9760 guest) 
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 05:47:12 GMT

I have placed five `freeware' file conversion applications in the submissions
directory at cs.orst.edu (See note at end for details).
They will generally only be of interest to those of you who either have
Macintoshes as well as a NeXT, or interact a lot with Mac users.

These apps are:

	Convert MacPaint
		Converts MacPaint documents to .eps files

	Convert TEXT
		Converts text files between NeXT and Macintosh text formats
		(thus, preserving `special' characters like bullets, printers
		quotes, etc).

	Convert RTF
		Yet another rtf file converter.  I dunno how it compares,
		feature-wise, with the other ones out there.  This will
		convert from Mac to NeXT, or back. Aside from mundane
		character and font name conversion, this will use the
		Convert PICT app, mentioned below, the convert
		embeded PICT images to produce a .rtfd file.

	Convert FONT
		Allows one to convert Macintosh *bitmaped* fonts to Type 3
		PostScript fonts (good for keeping your dearly loved PD mac
		fonts (or your specialized linguistic or mathematical) fonts
		usable on the NeXT).  This does NOT produce outlines from the
		bitmaps, but rather builds a PS font that just displays
		bitmaped characters

	Convert PICT
		This will convert a file in the Macintosh PICT graphics format
		to an eps file.  It converts essentially all the PICT opcodes,
		not just bitmaps. (info about exactly what it doesn't convert
		fully is in the app's help window)

More details about all of these applications is available in their Help
windows.  (the .README files at cs.orst.edu are very edited versions of
the text in those windows).

All of these have only been used by myself. As a result, I'm calling them
Beta versions, since they can't be said to have gotten a good testing (Use
them with caution! =).  I will try to fix any serious bugs, and after
a couple months post fixed ones.

These are all NeXTSTEP 2.1 applications that I have been developing during
odd moments over the past year.  They have not been used or tested very
extensively under 3.0.

I'd like to hear any comments you might have about using them.  Ideally, bugs
and the like should be sent to:

	bugs@kira.net.netcom.com
	
while comments, etc. to me at:

	death@kira.net.netcom.com


\david john burrowes

NOTES:
I tried to place these apps on sonata.cc.purdue.edu, but my ftp session
froze/hung after the first put command I issued.  Anyone know what's
wrong? (other's have reported this).

cs.orst.edu broke my connection whenever I tried to transfer a large file
(92K worked, 130K did not).  As a result, I had to uuencode Convert PICT
and split that into two pieces.

Sorry for the inconveniance.  As soon as these probles are gone, I will
post to sonata, and a new pict converter to cs.orst.edu.

FILE DETAILS:
cs.orst.edu
pub/next/submissions
-rw-rw-rw-   1 ftp      student     1096 Jan 11 00:04 Convert_FONT.README
-rw-rw-rw-   1 ftp      student    76449 Jan 11 00:05 Convert_FONT.tar.Z
-rw-rw-rw-   1 ftp      student      967 Jan 11 00:05 Convert_MacPaint.README
-rw-rw-rw-   1 ftp      student    43676 Jan 11 00:05 Convert_MacPaint.tar.Z
-rw-rw-rw-   1 ftp      student     1760 Jan 11 00:04 Convert_PICT.README
-rw-rw-rw-   1 ftp      student    92967 Jan 11 00:12 Convert_PICT.tar.Z.uu.pt1
-rw-rw-rw-   1 ftp      student    92722 Jan 11 00:13 Convert_PICT.tar.Z.uu.pt2
-rw-rw-rw-   1 ftp      student     1805 Jan 11 00:05 Convert_RTF.README
-rw-rw-rw-   1 ftp      student    61201 Jan 11 00:05 Convert_RTF.Z
-rw-rw-rw-   1 ftp      student     1755 Jan 11 00:04 Convert_TEXT.README
-rw-rw-rw-   1 ftp      student    43413 Jan 11 00:05 Convert_TEXT.Z