Less interesting, but more convenient are the helper scripts that utilize wvWare. For poor output, this doesn't require anything special. Abiword does a better job than this, in some respects. The library is available under the GPL license , and you can download it here, I have an online conversion gateway setup so that you can test it without downloading it, you can also submit word documents that crash the library, or that you feel are converted incorrectly here also. There are now two mailing lists and a few forums hosted by Sourceforge.
Traffic is low there.
Another active mailing list for wv development is the abiword list . Prospective developers should join that list, and follow their cvs instructions. Tinkering with the wv library alone is great. Seeing it in use is marvelous. A CVS access FAQ for prospective contributors here .