Re^5: Microsoft Works

(I can't believe I'm doing this. Your absolute refusal to do any research on your own is astounding. I guess my refusal to let you be stupid is getting the best of me.)

Instead of trying to convert straight from Works to Word, have you tried converting to an intermediate format? For example, someone above mentioned using OpenOffice. (Did you even look at that?) It turns out OOo doesn't read .wps files, but I found a few other options:

There are a number of FREE converters between HTML and Works / Word.
There are a number of FREE converters between PDF and Works / Word.
College students require only $5/hr to type stuff.

Also, I was wondering what your motivations behind this are. You mention you have a client that wants 300 philosophical documents converted. I'm betting that you agreed to a set price ($1 per document?) to convert them, figuring that there had to be a simple Perlish way to do it. Heck, Perl converts everything else ... why not .wps -> .doc? A cool $300 for an hour's worth of search / install, then let the computer do the rest while you go see a movie. Now that you're realizing it's not that simple, you're getting frustrated and venting. That's cool and all, but you're letting your frustration get the best of you. You forgot the first rule of Perl - There's More Than One Way To Do It. If the rock blocks your road, go around it - don't keep bashing your head at it.

Truly, I wish you good luck. I've made similar agreements in the past and grew to regret them. If you truly feel it isn't worth your time, be honest and tell your client that the cost is greater than you had initially realized. Show them the results of your research and give them your recommendation. My suggestion is that you don't charge them for that research. Tell them you would be glad to perform the conversion for them if they would be willing to pay 50% of the cost of the converter. This garners you the following benefits:

You keep the client. People want honesty, not braggadacio.
You keep the client's recommendation. In the freelance business, word-of-mouth gets you more business than a full-page ad in the NY Times.
You get a Words->Word converter for 50% off. This may cost you a bit in the short-term, but you now have a valuable tool in your toolbox for future clients.
You have grown as a freelancer. I doubt you'll agree to a contract again without researching it first.

Being right, does not endow the right to be rude; politeness costs nothing.
Being unknowing, is not the same as being stupid.
Expressing a contrary opinion, whether to the individual or the group, is more often a sign of deeper thought than of cantankerous belligerence.
Do not mistake your goals as the only goals; your opinion as the only opinion; your confidence as correctness. Saying you know better is not the same as explaining you know better.

Comment on Re^5: Microsoft Works

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Re^6: Microsoft Works by straywalrus (Friar) on Oct 09, 2004 at 02:19 UTC
wrong. just plain wrong. there is no price.He is a former professor of mine, and I agreed to help.I've done work for him before, but this was to help out his research. There is no contract, no money passing hands, nothing. If this was a client for which we had negoitiated a price, I would have had no problem going and spending the 150$ for a convertor. For free however, this is a problem. Besides, I'm doing fine for the last two years with my own small business, so I'm sure I'm fine for now. Talk about the need for prior research.	[reply]

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Re^6: Microsoft Works
by straywalrus (Friar) on Oct 09, 2004 at 02:19 UTC

wrong. just plain wrong. there is no price.He is a former professor of mine, and I agreed to help.I've done work for him before, but this was to help out his research. There is no contract, no money passing hands, nothing. If this was a client for which we had negoitiated a price, I would have had no problem going and spending the 150$ for a convertor. For free however, this is a problem. Besides, I'm doing fine for the last two years with my own small business, so I'm sure I'm fine for now. Talk about the need for prior research.

[reply]