In this issue:
- Converting from Uniplex to Star Office (and others)
- Intellipoint Driver Upgrade for Win 2000
- Setting Unix dates over the Internet
- Installing Win 95/98/NT specific programs on Win 2000
- A useful "reverse erase" tool for Paint Shop Pro
- Don't touch that mouse - keyboard shortcuts for selections
- Seen on the Internet (weirder than usual...)
CONVERTING FROM UNIPLEX TO STAR OFFICE (and Others)
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A recent query came in to our support desk about converting from
Uniplex to Star Office. Star Office is -the- Linux office
automation tool (as well as being available on all Windows
platforms and a few other flavours of Unix too). Not
surprisingly given that it is free for non-commercial use and
pretty well featured too.
Anyway, back to the conversion plot... Our TUDOR product was
originally written for Uniplex to Microsoft Word conversion, but
since it uses the standard RTF (Rich Text Format) then it's
output files are readable by nearly any Windows program, such as
WordPerfect or Star Office since these programs can read RTF
files fine.
This method gives you the greatest functionality on conversion
since it converts the majority of all formatting. You could also
convert via HTML - useful if you are going to a non-RTF format,
but HTML has very little formatting controls - so a lot of format
information is lost.
Incidentally, if you are archiving your Uniplex documents,
converting to HTML may be worthwhile since then you make them
available through standard web browsers throughout your network.
Finally, you might also want to use TUDOR HTML conversion for
support of automated reports going to your web site too.
For more details check out our web site at http://www.c2000.com.
If you have already upgraded to Windows 2000 then you have
probably already run into some Intellipoint glitches, in which
case you might want to try the updated driver (Release 3.1) from
the Microsoft site.
http://www.microsoft.com/products/hardware/mouse/driver/drivers_pc.htm
SCO DATES - AUTOMATIC SETTING
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Are you feed up with your Unix time and dates drifting off?
If you have an Internet connection then you can keep the time
correct automatically. Just run:
/etc/ntpdate cesium.clock.org
This will check over the net for the atomically correct time and
date. You can use the flag "-d" if you just want to see what
the correct time is without setting it.
FOOLING SOFTWARE - ITS EASY!
Or how to make a program running on Win 2000 think it is running
on Windows NT or 98
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In the Win 2000 resource kit there is a utility called
"APCOMPAT.EXE", just run it with no arguments and you can control
both the Windows version and the Service Pack number too.
The command can also be used direct from the command line (useful
in setting up shortcuts to run the application properly), use
"apcompat.exe -?" for a list of arguments.
NEAT REVERSE ERASE FOR PAINT SHOP PRO
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Here's a useful tool when you are deleting stuff in PSP. Firstly
make sure you have your image promoted from a background to a
layer. (See the layers tools)
Now, if you select the erase tool and rub out, you can right
click and "reverse erase" by rubbing out your rubbings out!
Whatever you erased is brought back again. This is great when
you are just fine tuning some edges for example.
Incidentally, this trick also works even if the layer has been
copied - even copied to a new graphic!
The erased portion is basically permanently available in the
layer and can always be restored.
DON'T TOUCH THAT MOUSE!
An occasional series of Keyboard Shortcuts
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A very common need is to select everything, prior to a delete or
cut and paste or something. Many applications will support Ctrl-
A as a Select All.
But also Excel has a really neat select region command, using
Ctrl-*. This selects any region bounded by blank rows and cells.
Great for selection your working area from Excel.
Ctrl-A Select All
Ctrl-* Select Region (Excel only)
SEEN ON THE INTERNET: Another fascinating slice of Internet
life scoured from the newsgroups:
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Subject: Re: Vampire writing course offered
From: Gavinblock@williams-interblocknet.block.org (Gavin Williams)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.horror.written, rec.arts.sf.written
wrote:
>Hello vampirophiles!
>
>I just wanted to let you know that I'm teaching two courses online
>specific to writing vampire fiction. I've included info on both Level 1
>and Level 2, so if you're interested, you can see where you fit.
Lesson 1.
Hazards of the job: -- Don't use pencils... risk of stabbing oneself
and consigning to eternal dark too high. (even with 2B)
Lesson 2.
Write at night, and artifical light is enough. Don't be tempted to
open the window to seek inspiration in the sunny day.
Lesson 3.
Getting the advance from the publisher, (or if you thought getting
blood from a neck was tough.. try getting it from a stone!)
Gavin
[Ed's Note: I don't usually bother commenting on these items,
since they are usually self explanatory, but I just felt that at
this point you have to wonder about some of the people who write
stuff on the 'net, I mean teaching courses on Vampire writing???]
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