Re: GEOS -> ProDOS question

[sbdocker@acs.ucalgary.ca (Sean Dockery)]

In article <2ea2kg$5r@meaddata.meaddata.com> johnt@meaddata.com (John
Townsend) writes:

| I need to move a very large GEOWrite document to a ProDOS text file,
| preferably retaining at least some of the formatting (e.g. tabs and
| returns).  Is there any way to do this?  GEOS files on ProDOS
| volumes appear to be in some goofy format that can be difficult or
| impossible to read from a ProDOS application.  Are there any
| conversion utilities around?  Does GEOWrite have anything like a
| "print to disk" capability to create a text file?  Thanks!

In COMPUTE's Apple Applications (AUG 88), pp 24 in an article about
GEOS states:

    "The GEOS-ProDOS compatibility is one way:  Although ProDOS files
     may be accessed via GEOS, not all GEOS files may be accessed via
     ProDOS."

Although I have never owned GEOS, I remember reading something about
GEOS files all having a 128 byte field at the beginning of every file
which contained a bitmapped icon image.  This is the reason why plain
ProDOS (non-GEOS) files all have a generic icon representing them.

All is not lost, though.

If you happen to have access to a second computer, a null modem cable,
and a decent terminal program for the second computer, you can have
that file transferred within a few minutes.

  o Connect the two computers together via the null modem cable.
  o Boot into GEOS.
  o Use geoWrite to reformat your document into plain ASCII text.
  o Set your second computer to receive an ASCII send.
  o Print the geoWrite file from geoDeskTop by dragging your file icon
     over the printer icon in the lower left-hand corner.

I make no claims regarding the success of this operation, but at least
it is something reasonable to attempt.
-- 
Sean Dockery

dockery@griffin.cuc.ab.ca (preferred)
sbdocker@acs.ucalgary.ca (pending expiration)