Is there a Linux-based programme which can open Micro$oft Publisher files?

Hiya,

Is there a Linux-based programme which can open Micro$oft Publisher files?

I've just been sent a whacking great publisher file, but I don't use
Micro$oft Publisher.

I've asked that the document be resent as a PDF, but I think it would be
good to be able to open the PUB files myself if the option to do so was
available to me.


Lennier

 

Hi there,

Definately request that, since you'll see the thing in close to its
original appearance in PDF...

Org 1.1 doesn't know about Publisher files so I'd imagine not
directly. You could try

$ strings <filename.pub> | less

One of the guys on CLUG was suggested that upon a time. I just
tried it, and its damn ugly, but you should be able to read the
content (and imagine the graphics!)...

 

I don't think it's possible. Publisher is too OLE dependant, it's files are
just plain incompatable with "normal" DTP programs [regardless of
platform]. I might be wrong - I hope I am.

I think that, and/or having the person "print to file" to generate a .ps
postscript file is about the only satisfaction you'll get from Publisher. A
pity, it would be nice to edit the things in other apps too.

D.

--
"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired,
signifies in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed,
those who are cold and are not clothed."

President Dwight D. Eisenhower, April 16, 1953

 

How do I use that?

What does "$ strings" do? What does "| less" do?


Lennier

 

LOL less does less than more

 

Surely you would also like to now what the "<filename." and the "pub>" do?

 

AFAIK there aren't even any Windows based programmes that can open pub files
(apart from Publisher itself, obviously). Apparently there are even
compatibility problems between the different versions of Publisher.

This seems to be a fairly common problem - small clubs and groups make their
newsletter using Publisher, which works fine when they distribute in
printed form. But, when they try electronic distribution, it all falls
apart because the readers don't have Publisher, or have a different
version, and can't read it.
Publisher has an option to export to html, but this just makes one big gif
image of each page - horribly inefficient and clumsy.


Peter

 

RTFM !

man strings

man less

(although I didn't have much luck using strings on pub files, khexedit was
more useful)

HTH

Peter

 

less does more than more !


Peter

 

Don't you have that in your Fedora Core start menu?

You're joking aren't you? I hope someone is impersonating you.

If not, I hereby revoke your Linux advocacy license!

Then again, it could be useful...

"Linux is now so easy even Lennier can use it!"



Cheers
Anton

 

It still does that? Unbelievable! I remember being astounded when I heard
that about 6 years ago, but I assumed a later version would've fixed it.

Publisher always seemed the bastard step child of the Works suite that
unfortunately outlived it.

Cheers
Anton

 

Yes, I should have proof read that

 

That was with Publisher98, I haven't tried anything more recent.


Peter

 

"$" is the command prompt.

Try

$ man strings (don't type the "$"!!)

This will tell you what the "strings" command does.

<filename.pub> is the file that "strings" is applied to.

"| less" pipes the output of "strings" to the program "less".

Try

$ man less

"less" is like the DOS command "more" but does more, not less!

Cheers,

Cliff

 

Agreed.....and MS Publisher costs $360 or more.

Because of this problem, the Horowhenua & Districts Carriage Driving society
moved to Scribus 1.1 on Linux.

Scribus is free...and anyone can use it.

http://www.scribus.org.uk/

Scribus uses the 'paste-up' metaphor common to many DTP programmes.

 

Hi there,

Yup...less is more and more is less more or less...