I had to send a .gif file to a not-very-computer-literate friend but the default was to open it in Windows Picture Manager, which doesn't display animations. I think there should be a way to specify in the file what program should be used to open it. This would be different because the file would specify the program, rather than the operating system or opener specifying it with the extension.
-- gelie, Mar 05 2005

This is used to be baked on the Macintosh, where each file held the info of what program it belonged to. I think it was called the "Bundle bits," but maybe it was something in the resource fork.

It would be nice to see this in Windows.
-- robinism, Mar 05 2005


What if I don't want to open it with the program you specify? What if I don't even have the program you specify? What if I'm not even using the same operating system?
-- Detly, Mar 05 2005


[Detly] - Implement it like the <font> tag in html. List the recommended applications in descending order. If you don't have one of them then let the OS try to figure it out as usual - it shouldn't matter which OS. [+]
-- wagster, Mar 05 2005


Have one nearly computer illiterate croissant.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Mar 05 2005


To answer Deltly's question, this would only suggest a program and not make it mandatory. Just like if your opening a file and your deflate is to open it in pain. You can right click and change that. This would be the same
-- gelie, Mar 05 2005


On the Macintosh, every file had a 4-byte 'application signature' and a 4-byte 'file type'. The application signature would determine which application should be used if a file was double-clicked; the file type would be used to let programs select what types of files they could open. The Think Pascal compiler would save source-code files with a signature of PJMM and a type of TEXT. They could thus be opened with anything that could handle text files, but double-clicking them would launch Think Pascal.

I miss the Macintosh. So much better than Windows with its goofy file-name extensions.

BTW, how did MIcrosoft get the audacity to call MS Word documents ".doc" files when the extension had been used for years to describe text files?
-- supercat, Mar 05 2005


[gelie] - Any file which opens deflating me with pain is not welcome on my machine. I hope my anti-virus gets it before I do.
-- wagster, Mar 06 2005


WordPerfect files were also ".doc" files well before Word became a big player.
-- half, Mar 06 2005


I thought WordPerfect used a .WP file extension.
-- supercat, Mar 07 2005


Still baked on Macintosh, [robinism]. You can set the opening application of any document in its 'info' window. And Macintosh documents still have four- letter signatures and file-types [supercat].
-- Basepair, Mar 07 2005


I think Frame Maker, DisplayWrite, SmartWare and Wordstar also use(d) .doc as well as the ASCII text use.

I know that WordPerfect files can sometimes be .doc, too. Maybe that's when they're saved as Word compatible? (a guess).
-- bristolz, Mar 07 2005


If you can set on your own machine what program to use to open specific file types, why would you need anything more?
-- brodie, Mar 07 2005


<grabs AST Premium Exec 386/SX/25 (Color - ooh) laptop from the artifact room. fires up Word Perfect for Windows 6.0a (1990 - 1992)>

Word Perfect 6.0 (*.wpd, *.wpt, *.doc, *.wp)
Word Perfect 4.x, 5.x (*.doc, *.wp)
Office Writer 6 (*.wp)

Other *.doc:
Professional Write
Multimate 3.x
Multimate Advantage II
Display Write

-- Shz, Mar 08 2005


Before Windows, many word-processing programs used a .doc extension when saving documents as text files.
-- supercat, Mar 09 2005


// If you can set on your own machine what program to use to open specific file types, why would you need anything more? //

To cater for those who are more "technically inept" than others...
-- RichieRich, Mar 09 2005


You mean DOS 6, I perzoom [Shz].
-- bristolz, Mar 09 2005


Word Perfect 6 for Windows x might be a better way to say it.

Wow [supercat] - you’re old. <snicker> Back then I was using EVE on a VAX 11/780.
-- Shz, Mar 09 2005


My Adobe actually spells out "Microsoft Word Document (*.doc)" and no other option. Even M$ products give you more format choices for filetypes with the .doc extension.
-- reensure, Mar 09 2005



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