Is Your Gear Out of Sync? or How to get opposites to attract in Computer Compatibility

By John R. Quain Page 203 Fast Company February/March 1999

The article, Is Your Gear Out of Sync? addresses one of the most frustrating problems in the work environment today - incompatibility of computer systems, software, file formats and networking. As the article points out, we are often well equipped with hardware and software in our work place but the files we produce are difficult to transfer to others electronically or to work with remotely when ones electronic files are based centrally. The article offers up-to-date solutions for getting in sync with colleagues and clients so that the flow of information begins to come together.

Ive summarized important suggestions from the article below:

Reading Different File Formats - Every program has its own special format or language for producing documents or files. Even different versions of the same program sometimes are unable to read documents stored in earlier versions.

To get files to speak the same language, use a multilingual file-format translator such as Conversions Plus 4.5 from DataViz ($100). This program will recognize and translate any file to a readable format, convert the file to a format that allows editing and finally store the file in the format you desire. Additionally this program contains a utility called Attachment Opener that decodes and decompresses attached files to e-mail messages allowing you to view them as legible text.

Mass Disseminators - When e-mailing a single document to many addresses, often times people receiving the e-mail cannot read the file. The solution is to use a file format that is universally readable such as Adobe Acrobats PDF (portable document format). A PDF file can be read from any computer with the Adobe Acrobat Reader which is a free program downloadable from the Web. Plus the PDF file will appear in exactly the form in which it was originally created. Adobe 3.0 will enable you to create documents in the PDF format, so no one on the receiving end will have difficulty reading your sent file. Adobe Acrobat Reader is free on the Web and Adobe Acrobat 3.0 cost $295.

Office Shuttler To prevent files from getting out of sync from home to work, use Laplink Professional 2.0 which when installed on both systems (PC and laptop) can copy and coordinate files between a PC and a laptop directly. You can connect the machines using a modem, serial cable or the Internet. Additionally, Laplink provides remote control over the PC in your office, so when youre working at home, you can access files and software from your office computer. When youre away from your office, you can provide someone in your office with a hard copy print out of a file from your office computer to your office printer with this software. Laplink will also update schedules built into Windows 98 to keep your work connected with everyone elses by updating files and directories.

Shuttling files between Computers When traveling it is unfortunate when you leave computer files back in the office instead of copying them to your laptop to bring along. Nortons Mobile Essentials ($79.95) is a group of software tools that can enable you to group files together and automatically transfer them to your laptop with a push of a button. Also included is Location Controller, which will configure your computer to the areas local Internet-access settings, area codes and time zones. The software will run a virus check on your laptop, scan your hard drive for potential faults and check to see whether your modem is working before you leave town - your basic pre-trip tune-up.

Other tips offered in the article include using USB (Universal Serial Bus) plugs for adding peripherals to your system, coordinating contact lists and schedules between programs and computer systems, and sharing work through network connections.

A section of the article I particularly found useful was the description of file formats entitled, 8 formats to help you sync. The chart described Extension abbreviations, the translation of the abbreviations and descriptions of its use. For example, use of the .rtf or Rich Text Format would enable files/documents to be created with one software package and read/edited by another. By converting a file to RTF, you can maintain most fonts and formatting from one application to another while passing electronic documents among computer users.

In summary, I think there are useful applications of these suggestions especially in offices that have various platforms and software packages being used. For example, my support staff uses different computer programs than I do which makes file transfer awkward. Eventually we will solve this issue by working with the same software but in the meantime multi-lingual file format translators could be very useful. Also this would work well when trying to share electronic files with others in different work places. To successfully apply some of these ideas would save time and the nerve-jarring frustrations we experience in our networked world.

There are concerns that I share with my colleagues that commented on these ideas. One is; do we really need to have 24 hour/7 day a week access to our work through accessing our office computers from home or carrying a laptop everywhere? Perhaps this convenience will blur the separation of work and home. For most of us, this is an important separation that contributes to our health and well-being. If an employer permits flex-time and telecommuting then these tools could bring benefits to an independent worker.

Also, we dont travel in our office that much to require files to be transferred from office computer to a laptop. In some businesses, this could be a real time saver as well as enabling the employee to be better prepared for off-site meetings.

Perhaps the greatest benefit of this article is to keep us informed about potential use of computers in our work place as we interact with other computer users. Since most employees and managers have desktop computers in their offices, the flow of work between stations becomes critically important. Getting in sync will create a more efficient work place with less stress in our electronic environment .

-- Anonymous, March 04, 1999

Answers

Karen Johnson,

This article slings a lot of lingo! In "sync" seems an unattainable goalc. Most of us are approaching information overload. Good discussion with colleagues.

-- Anonymous, October 01, 1999