Very Computer

I'm trying to decide whether to configure my NCSA httpd web server to
assume that any file ending in ".doc" is a Microsoft Word document and
map it to an appropriate MIME type.

Is the ".doc" extension really synonymous with MS Word?  I could have
sworn that I had seen other microcomputer environments in which ".doc"
files were in other formats.

If you have an answer, please reply by *mail* and I will summarize.
Thanks.

(And I'm aware of Word viruses and the danger of configuring Word as an
external viewer, so there's no need for a lecture on that score.)

-- RiceInfo Administrator, Rice University / http://is.rice.edu/~riddle
-- Home office: 2002-A Guadalupe St. #285, Austin, TX 78705 / 512-323-0708

Quote:> I'm trying to decide whether to configure my NCSA httpd web server to
> assume that any file ending in ".doc" is a Microsoft Word document and
> map it to an appropriate MIME type.

> Is the ".doc" extension really synonymous with MS Word?

application/ms-word is sure going to be more useful than text/plain.

I lost count of the number of times users came whimpering to me that they
had saved the (misrendered MS Word) document but MS Word could make no
sense of it...

I asked:
| I'm trying to decide whether to configure my NCSA httpd web server to
| assume that any file ending in ".doc" is a Microsoft Word document and
| map it to an appropriate MIME type.
|
| Is the ".doc" extension really synonymous with MS Word?  I could have
| sworn that I had seen other microcomputer environments in which ".doc"
| files were in other formats.

The short answer: no, it is not safe to assume that ".doc" is synonymous
with MS Word.

Historically the ".doc" extension has been used either by software
default or by user convention to indicate all of the following:

   ASCII text
   DecWrite
   Displaywrite
   FrameMaker
   Interleaf
   MS Word
   MS Write
   MultiMate
   WordPerfect
   WordStar

The kluge I'm leaning toward is to use the double extension
".msword.doc".  To my surprise, NCSA httpd 1.5.1 is perfectly happy
matching a two-part extension like this, and my MS Windows users should
be happy because Netscape Navigator will shorten the filename and
download "foobar.msword.doc" as "foobar.doc".

A few people said that as webmaster I could enforce a rule that ".doc"
implies MS Word.  I guess you don't know my users. :-)

Thanks for the quick replies.

-- RiceInfo Administrator, Rice University / http://is.rice.edu/~riddle
-- Home office: 2002-A Guadalupe St. #285, Austin, TX 78705 / 512-323-0708