In my January How To column, Working with Downloaded Files without Special Utilities, I gave our readers a challenge. I asked readers to send me downloadable files (or their URLs) that might be difficult to open. I promised that persons who sent me an unadulterated file I could not open without resorting to ResEdit would win a prize.

I received no entries in January and extended the contest through February. I received only one contest entry! However, the file was in a proprietary Microsoft Publisher 3 format, and was disqualified. (There never has been a Macintosh version of Microsoft Publisher.)

So, I can conclude that one of the following statements is true:

1. ATPM readers ignored the contest and did not even try to find a file that was difficult to open after downloading.
2. It is almost impossible to find a downloadable, non-proprietary-formatted file that the Macintosh cannot handle.

Copyright © 2002 Gregory Tetrault, gtetrault@atpm.com.