Don't overlook the merits of 'strings'.  :-)

\_ try:
\_ catdoc
\_ 
\_ Package: catdoc
\_ Priority: optional
\_ Section: text
\_ Installed-Size: 636
\_ Maintainer: Bdale Garbee <bdale@gag.com>
\_ Version: 0.91.4-1
\_ Depends: libc6 (>= 2.1.2)
\_ Suggests: wish
\_ Architecture: i386
\_ Size: 66394
\_ MD5sum: e31084fed199fbda2ae24af844542250
\_ Filename: dists/woody/main/binary-i386/text/catdoc_0.91.4-1.deb
\_ Description: MS-Word to TeX or plain text converter
\_  This program extracts text from MS-Word files, trying to preserve
\_  as many special printable characters as possible. catdoc supports
\_  everything up to Word-97.
\_  .
\_  It doesn't even try to preserve fancy Word formatting, because
\_  Word users usually don't care about document structure, and it is
\_  this very thing which is important to LaTeX users.
\_  .
\_  Also provided is xls2csv, which extracts data from Excel spreadsheets
\_  and outputs it in comma-separated-value format.
\_  .
\_  This package suggests 'wish' because it also includes wordview, an
\_  optional Tk-based GUI for catdoc.  The MIME config provided in this
\_  package will use wordview is X is running, or catdoc directly if it
\_  is not.
\_ 
\_ 
\_ It seems like on Mon, Sep 18, 2000 at 07:43:04AM -0700, Rod Roark scribbled:
\_ Orig Msg> On Sun, 17 Sep 2000, Jason wrote:
\_ Orig Msg> > > If interested, please send text in plain text to john@excelco.com.  DO
\_ Orig Msg> > > NOT send any attachments in the form of *.DOC to me for review.  I will
\_ Orig Msg> > > not open them!   Principals only at this time.
\_ Orig Msg> > 
\_ Orig Msg> > Is there a linux solution (even a simply C program to strip the M$
\_ Orig Msg> > coding and give some decent plaintext; the M$ format files are rarely
\_ Orig Msg> > in a sensible order) to opening these annoying .DOC files yet?
\_ Orig Msg> 
\_ Orig Msg> StarOffice reads them effectively.
\_ Orig Msg> 
\_ Orig Msg> -- Rod
\_ Orig Msg>    http://www.sunsetsystems.com/
\_ Orig Msg> 
\_ 
\_ JLF Sends...
\_ Doing my part to educate the Clubie Illiterati
\_ one LART at a time.
\_ 
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