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iw2evk

Magenta (Italy),
09.08.2016, 11:37
 

spreadshith compatible with XLS format (Users)

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Hi,

someone know a DOS spreadsheth compatible (read/write whitout any additional stuff) with M$ .XLS win 98 format?

Thanks

Roberto iw2evk
Oso2k

10.08.2016, 19:57

@ iw2evk
 

spreadshith compatible with XLS format

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> Hi,
>
> someone know a DOS spreadsheth compatible (read/write whitout any
> additional stuff) with M$ .XLS win 98 format?
>
> Thanks
>
> Roberto iw2evk
I had hopes that NewDeal Office[0] could help but looks like the company has gone defunct after the death of the President[1]. Very sad.

In any case, CSV is a universal format. You could try that unless the ability to open Excel 98 files is absolutely mandatory.

[0] https://web.archive.org/web/20160304224619/http://www.breadbox.com/products-ensemble.php
[1] https://web.archive.org/web/20160503163552/http://www.breadbox.com/
marcov

11.08.2016, 21:36

@ iw2evk
 

spreadshith compatible with XLS format

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> someone know a DOS spreadsheth compatible (read/write whitout any
> additional stuff) with M$ .XLS win 98 format?
There are FPC/Lazarus components that can read/write XLS and XLSX in various versions and success, and it doesn't depend on external dependencies. There are both visual and non visual components.

The visual components (that embed a mini spreadsheet in your app) depend on Lazarus, and thus won't work on dos. The non visual might work out of the box with go32v2.

It is a memory hog though, so for large sheets you will need lots of memory. (which is why 16-bit dos support is probably hopeless)

The components is called fpspreadsheet, and is in the "contributed code" lazarus-ccr repository on sf.net

If you just need to get some data from/to XLS that could be a way. I use it to generate work schedules in a Linux service.
Laaca

Homepage

Czech republic,
11.08.2016, 22:37

@ iw2evk
 

spreadshith compatible with XLS format

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I personaly never used it but you can try utility xlHTML
http://prdownloads.sf.net/chicago/xlHtm040.zip

It is a command line converter from XLS into HTML. It should be also possible to use it as a plugin into Arachne browser.

---
DOS-u-akbar!
iw2evk

Magenta (Italy),
12.08.2016, 08:53

@ Laaca
 

spreadshith compatible with XLS format

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Hi guys,

ok, seem impossible open and save .XLS format in dos.

So meaning no exchange from dos user to others users (m$ prone word)

it's again the "north corea paradox" : highway with no one running car!:confused:

i suppose it's time to create a workgroup of dos user/programmers for
create new and updated open source dos programs.
Not everyone for itself, but all together for some defined projects.
This for avoid Orphan proejects and continue developping/mantaining dos software.

i stand for your comment about this idea..

Roberto iw2evk
Laaca

Homepage

Czech republic,
12.08.2016, 10:53

@ iw2evk
 

spreadshith compatible with XLS format

Post reply

If is acceptable for you to use a online solution it should be at least teoreticaly possible to use some online converter for conversion from .XLS into some more DOS friendly format and after your work to convert it back.

Try to discuss it with guys who work on networking stuff like Mike Brutman or Mateusz Viste. With some effort should be possible to automate it quite well with some .BAT scripts.

---
DOS-u-akbar!
glennmcc

Homepage E-mail

North Jackson, Ohio (USA),
13.08.2016, 01:05

@ iw2evk
 

spreadshith compatible with XLS format

Post reply

> Hi guys,
>
> ok, seem impossible open and save .XLS format in dos.
>
> So meaning no exchange from dos user to others users (m$ prone word)
>
> it's again the "north corea paradox" : highway with no one running
> car!:confused:
>
> i suppose it's time to create a workgroup of dos user/programmers for
> create new and updated open source dos programs.
> Not everyone for itself, but all together for some defined projects.
> This for avoid Orphan proejects and continue developping/mantaining dos
> software.
>
> i stand for your comment about this idea..
>
> Roberto iw2evk
Use Linux and be done with it. :)

---
--
http://glennmcc.org/
RayeR

Homepage

CZ,
16.08.2016, 17:47

@ iw2evk
 

spreadshith compatible with XLS format

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> i suppose it's time to create a workgroup of dos user/programmers for
> create new and updated open source dos programs.
I think there's very low interest (and limited time-capabilities of remaining DOS programmers). Most of them probably use DOS for some low-level/embedded stuf and someone maybe games and multimedia but probably nobody else needs doing excel stuff under DOS. Sorry about that but don't have any expectations there will rise new DOS programming group. You have to learn and program it yourself if it is so high priority...

---
DOS gives me freedom to unlimited HW access.
Doug

E-mail

12.08.2016, 20:44
(edited by Doug, 13.08.2016, 06:52)

@ iw2evk
 

spreadshith compatible with XLS format

Post reply

There is a 16-bit DOS program called XLS2CSV which aims to convert Excel spreadsheets into comma-separated value files. (It's brought to you by Victor Wagner, the programmer of CATDOC, which attempted to do similar for Word files.)

Binaries are included in the CATDOC v0.94.2 (2006-Feb-25) zip file, downloadable from the CATDOC page:

http://www.wagner.pp.ru/~vitus/software/catdoc/

and it looks like sources (but no binaries) for a new v0.95 (2016-May-02) are available from the archive page:

http://www.wagner.pp.ru/~vitus/software/catdoc/archive.html

Keep in mind that XLS2CSV only extracts data and leaves out any formatting and formulas. You just see data, not the way it was laid out. (But other SS programs are certain to read CSV format files.)

The package also includes CATPPT which extracts textual information from Powerpoint files.

These programs are distributed under GNU Public License.

Hope it helps....

- Doug B.
iw2evk

Magenta (Italy),
13.08.2016, 21:58

@ Doug
 

spreadshith compatible with XLS format

Post reply

Hi,

thanks fo rsuggestions regarding conversion programs, but don't solve the issue.

After converted i've :

a html sheeth, but this lost all proprieties of sheth.

a cvs page : same problem.

Another point is the impossibilty of saving in xls format.

The spsht program ported in dos from Georg Potthast it's very intersting, but
the original author don't have created import / export filters.
So it's only a " toys" for programmer without any utility.

Others dos shareware / adbandonedware spreadsheth saving in older format today unusables.

Regards

Roberto
bretjohn

Homepage E-mail

Rio Rancho, NM,
17.08.2016, 18:37

@ iw2evk
 

spreadshith compatible with XLS format

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Actually, there's still plenty of utility left in those old spreadsheet programs (1-2-3, As-Easy-As, Quattro Pro, ...). Even the original VisiCalc can be useful, too.

The later ones (like Excel) do have some new built-in functions, but most of the "progress" is really just in formatting capabilities (fonts and colors and such). Even some DOS programs like Quattro Pro had some of those capabilities, though. It hasn't even been all that long (2007) since Excel allowed more than 256 columns and 64k rows.

If your definition of utility means being able to use the same spreadsheet in any OS, then I don't think any spreadsheet would be utilitarian enough to suit you. You can actually still do a lot of useful things with DOS spreadsheets if you really want to (and NOT letting other OS's see your data can actually be a benefit instead of a hindrance in certain situations).
GNUser

12.09.2017, 16:11

@ bretjohn
 

spreadshith compatible with XLS format

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> Actually, there's still plenty of utility left in those old spreadsheet
> programs (1-2-3, As-Easy-As, Quattro Pro, ...). Even the original VisiCalc
> can be useful, too.
>
> The later ones (like Excel) do have some new built-in functions, but most
> of the "progress" is really just in formatting capabilities (fonts and
> colors and such). Even some DOS programs like Quattro Pro had some of
> those capabilities, though. It hasn't even been all that long (2007) since
> Excel allowed more than 256 columns and 64k rows.
>
> If your definition of utility means being able to use the same spreadsheet
> in any OS, then I don't think any spreadsheet would be utilitarian enough
> to suit you. You can actually still do a lot of useful things with DOS
> spreadsheets if you really want to (and NOT letting other OS's see your
> data can actually be a benefit instead of a hindrance in certain
> situations).

I have been trying to get my DOS machine to be somehow "inter compatible" with my Linux machine. I have noticed that LibreOffice Calc can still open/save formats like DIF and DBF and CSV, which are file formats that old spreadsheets used (SuperCalc, Visicalc, etc). I am basically lost to which file format will be best to use however... can anyone suggest me some links that describe each file format in more detail? I have made a small test and usually formulas don't work between one and the other, but data moves ok... I am just really ignorant about spreadsheet software and files.
Any help greatly appreciated :)

Thanks
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