MAKING SENSE OF EMAIL PART 2: DOCUMENT DISORDERS by Richard Phillips

Attaching a document to an eMail is easy. Knowing for certain that the recipient of your eMail has a program that can read your document is another matter. This month I cover several common document formats and explain how their use will affect the recipients of your eMail attachments. Of course I won’t go into every file format in existence but I will hit upon those that are most frequently used by people like yourself. Unlike my previous tome (“Making Sense of eMail, Part 1: Attachment Disorders”), this second article in the series isn’t intended to be read top to bottom but rather it should be thought as more of a reference. Within the “Article Links” box, simply click the document type you are interested in and you’ll be whisked right to the desired information. There are also virus and spyware considerations when eMailing some of these file types. Last months “Making Sense of eMail, Part 1: Attachment Disorders” details how these considerations will affect you.

Article Links: .avi : Microsoft Windows Video .doc : Microsoft Word .exe : Executable Program .htm : Hyper Text Markup Language .jpg : Compressed Still Image .mov : QuickTime Movie .mp3 : Compressed Audio .pdf : Abobe’s Portable Document Format .ppt : Microsoft PowerPoint .psd : Adobe Photoshop .rtf : Rich Text Format .sit : StuffIt Archive .txt : Plain Text .wmv : Windows Media .xls : Microsoft Excel .zip : ZIP Archive

‘.avi’ • Microsoft Windows Audio/Video Interleave This extension represents Microsoft’s older movie container architecture. You probably won’t run into files using this file extension very often as for the purposes of on–line movie distribution, Microsoft has replaced it with the more modern and flexible Windows Media architecture. important note: Microsoft’s Audio/Video Interleave format is somewhat like Windows Media and Apple’s QuickTime in that these are architectures and not specific codecs. application(s): Windows Media Player. upside: Free versions of the Windows Media Player are available for both Windows (of course) and Macintosh. downside: The recipient of your eMailed ‘.avi’ file may have to download the player program in order to watch the movie clip. Not only must the receiver of your ‘.avi’ attachment have a program that can play Microsoft’s Audio/Video Interleave files but he or she must also have the specific codec that was used to create the file. platform(s): Mac / Windows

Windows Media can be found here... Windows Media for the Macintosh Windows Media for Windows

‘.doc’ • Microsoft Word Microsoft Word is unquestionably among the most commonly used word processing programs in use today. So much so that people tend to eMail ‘.doc’ files without giving a second thought as to whether or not the recipient also owns a copy of Word. There are several word processors that aren’t produced by Microsoft in use by happy customers all over the world. And while many people (including myself) own a copy of Word, not everyone does. Something to consider. important note: Because Word has become such a standard, many competing word processors have been designed to open and display Word ‘.doc’ files. However, few of them translate documents perfectly. In other words, there is no way to know how your meticulously formatted document will eventually look when it displays on the screen of your recipient. application(s): Microsoft Word. upside: If you have to send a file to someone in a word processor’s file format, Word’s format is certainly the most common one you can use. downside: Not everyone has chosen Word as their word processor. platform(s): Mac / Windows

Word is a part of the Microsoft Office Suite... Microsoft Office for the Macintosh Microsoft Office for Windows

‘.exe’ • Executable (software) This represents a program file. important note: Every computing platform and operating system uses a different internal format when it comes to executables (‘.exe’ file). In other words, you can’t send off a Windows executable program file to a Mac user and expect that he or she will be able to run the program. application(s): This file format is a program. upside: Not applicable. downside: Some anti–spam and anti–spyware software will block ‘.exe’ eMail attachments. platform(s): Linux / Mac / UNIX / Windows

‘.htm’ • Hyper Text Markup Language Sometimes the four–character ‘.html’ file extension is used instead. An HTML file is just a special text file that includes embedded instructions that tell a browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, etc) how to format and display the file’s content. Usually HTML files are created when the end result is intended to be viewed using a browser program. Although the internal methods used by HTML are very different from Rich Text Format, HTML does provide some of the same basic functionality. application(s): By definition, all browsers can read (but not create) HTML files. Furthermore, many modern word processors can read and write HTML. There are also programs specifically designed to create HTML documents (such as Adobe’s GoLive). upside: Traditionally, HTML files are used only when building web pages and web sites. Because you'd be hard pressed to find a computer that doesn’t have an installed browser program, HTML can be used to create formatted documents for others without having to worry that the recipient won’t be able to read your file. Like plain text files and RTF files, HTML files can’t contain embedded images, movies or sounds. However, it is possible to keep such media on a server and to design your HTML document so that the media is loaded on–the–fly from the server when needed. Unfortunately these details are beyond the scope of this article. downside: Distributing content as an attached HTML file is unusual. So much so that some may not know what to do with the file once it’s in their possession. Of course, all the recipient has to do is double–click your HTML document and their browser program will automatically load and display the file. platform(s): Linux / Mac / UNIX / Windows

Firefox is a popular (and safe) 3rd party browser... Firefox Browser

‘.jpg’ • Compressed Still Image Sometimes the four–character ‘.jpeg’ file extension is used instead. This is probably the most common method for packaging compressed still images for the end user. The JPEG format was finalized by the Joint Photographic Experts Group. important note: Attaching a compressed JPEG file works well because many eMail client programs will display your image right in the message display window. application(s): All of the more popular browser programs and most graphics programs (such as Photoshop). upside: Of all the image compression technologies available, JPEG is the one that people use most frequently. downside: The more you compress the image the lower the quality. But that’s to be expected as there is no free lunch. platform(s): Linux / Mac / UNIX / Windows

‘.mov’ • Apple’s QuickTime This extension represents Apple’s movie container architecture. important note: Apple’s QuickTime file format is somewhat like Microsoft’s Audio/Video Interleave and Windows Media formats in that these are architectures and not specific codecs. application(s): Apple QuickTime. upside: Free versions of the Apple QuickTime are available for both the Macintosh (of course) and Windows. downside: The recipient of your eMailed ‘.mov’ file may have to download the player program in order to watch the movie clip. Not only must the receiver of your ‘.mov’ attachment have a program that can play Apple QuickTime files but he or she must also have the specific codec that was used to create the file. platform(s): Mac / Windows

QuickTime can be found here... QuickTime

‘.mp3’ • Compressed Audio This is probably the most common method for packaging compressed sound (music, podcasts, etc) for the end user. The full name of this format is “MPEG-1 Audio Layer-3.” application(s): ‘.mp3’ is the “lingua franca” of the music–delivery world. Pretty much every software based music player (iTunes & WinAmp) and every music hardware device (iPod) can play ‘.mp3’ files. upside: Of all the sound compression technologies available, “MPEG-1 Audio Layer-3” is the distribution format that people use most frequently. downside: The more you compress the sound the lower the quality. But that’s to be expected as there is no free lunch. platform(s): Linux / Mac / UNIX / Windows

iTunes is a cross–platform ‘.mp3’ player... iTunes

‘.pdf’ • Adobe’s Portable Document Format Adobe created this format to provide a platform independent method for the distribution of page–based content. One of the best things about the Portable Document file Format is that the result can be made to display and print exactly the way it is intended. important note: Creating ‘.pdf’ files can be achieved natively in Mac OS X. And there are several free utilities for Windows that also fill this need. Adobe’s Acrobat family of products are designed to provide the greatest control when laying out ‘.pdf’ files. application(s): Adobe Reader. upside: When distributing content in Adobe’s Portable Document Format you can be certain that the recipient will see what you’ve created just as you designed it. downside: PDF files can’t normally be edited by the recipient (which can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending upon your point of view). Furthermore, Windows user may have to download the free Adobe Reader program before they can access your content. platform(s): Mac / Mobile Devices / UNIX / Windows

Adobe’s Reader program is available here... Adobe Reader

‘.ppt’ • Microsoft PowerPoint Microsoft PowerPoint is a popular business presentation program. A PowerPoint file isn’t something that you’d normally eMail off to someone unless they are going to collaborate in its creation or present the content to others. application(s): Microsoft PowerPoint. upside: Not applicable. downside: You will want to make certain that the recipient of your ‘.ppt’ attachment has their own copy of PowerPoint. platform(s): Mac / Windows

PowerPoint is a part of the Microsoft Office Suite... Microsoft Office for the Macintosh Microsoft Office for Windows

‘.psd’ • Adobe Photoshop Photoshop is the “gold standard” when it comes to image editing software. ‘.psd’ files are the program’s native file format. As a rule, files will be passed about in this format only when collaboration is involved. The ‘.psd’ file format is almost never used to distribute the final image to the end user. important note: Mac and Windows computers with installed copies of Apple’s free QuickTime software can read native Photoshop files even if they don’t have Photoshop installed. application(s): Adobe Photoshop. upside: Not applicable. downside: You will want to make certain that the recipient of your ‘.psd’ attachment has their own copy of Photoshop. platform(s): Mac / Windows

Adobe Photoshop can be found here... Adobe Photoshop

‘.rtf’ • Rich Text Format This open format was created by Microsoft as a way for word processors to exchange formatted text. Although the internal methods used by Rich Text Format are very different from HTML, RTF does provide some of the same basic functionality. application(s): Many modern word processors (including Microsoft Word and Apple’s TextEdit) can read and write RTF files. upside: RTF can be used to create formatted documents for others without having to worry (too much) that the recipient won’t be able to read your file. downside: Like plain text files and HTML files, RTF files can’t contain embedded images, movies or sounds. platform(s): Mac / Windows

‘.sit’ • StuffIt Archive Sometimes the four–character ‘.sitx’ file extension is used instead. StuffIt is a cross–platform file compression program. However, ‘.sit’ archives are far more commonly employed by Macintosh users than by Windows users. application(s): The StuffIt family of products. upside: StuffIt can oftentimes compress files much more compactly than can ZIP. downside: StuffIt is almost unheard of in the Windows world. And because Mac OS X has built–in ZIP file compression, it is becoming less common in the Mac world as well. platform(s): Mac / Windows

StuffIt can be found here... StuffIt

‘.txt’ • Plain Text A plain text file contains nothing but pure text. No formatting. No colors. No typeface information. No embedded images. Just text. application(s): Virtually every word processor on the planet can read and write plain text files. upside: The most basic way to send the written word. When you ship off a plain text file to someone you can be certain the recipient will be able to read what you’ve written. Also, plain text files tend to be comparatively small. For example, the raw text from an entire novel will usually take up less storage space than a single Photoshop image. downside: It doesn’t look pretty. And there isn’t anything you can do to make it look nicer. A plain text file is probably not the best choice for content where visual impact is important. platform(s): Linux / Mac / UNIX / Windows

‘.wmv’ • Windows Media This extension represents the Microsoft Media movie container architecture. important note: Windows Media format is somewhat like Microsoft’s Audio/Video Interleave and Apple’s QuickTime in that these are architectures and not specific codecs. application(s): Windows Media Player. upside: Free versions of the Windows Media Player are available for both Windows (of course) and Macintosh. downside: The recipient of your eMailed ‘.wmv’ file may have to download the player program in order to watch the movie clip. Not only must the receiver of your ‘.wmv’ attachment have a program that can play Windows Media files but he or she must also have the specific codec that was used to create the file. platform(s): Mac / Windows

Windows Media can be found here... Windows Media for the Macintosh Windows Media for Windows

‘.xls’ • Microsoft Excel Microsoft Excel is unquestionably the most commonly used spread sheet program in use today. So much so that people tend to eMail ‘.xls’ files without giving a second thought as to whether or not the recipient also owns a copy of Excel. application(s): Microsoft Excel. upside: If you have to send a spread sheet file to someone, Excel’s format is certainly the most common one you can use. downside: Not everyone has a copy of Excel installed on their computer. platform(s): Mac / Windows

Excel is a part of the Microsoft Office Suite... Microsoft Office for the Macintosh Microsoft Office for Windows

‘.zip’ • ZIP Archive ZIP is a cross–platform file compression format. application(s): There are many different ZIP programs available for Windows machines. And ZIP utilities are built into Mac OS X, UNIX and Linux. upside: Pretty much every computer user has at one time or another installed a utility that can decompress a ‘.zip’ file.