Mac/Win Compatibility Issues

Have you ever needed to send a file created on a Mac to a printing establishment that only ran Wintel machines, or vice versa? Or, has someone tried to send you a file which, when you got it, seemed corrupted? It’s a common headache many of us feel. Did you know that you can avoid these headaches altogether? With little bit of knowledge and a rules to follow, one can solve the problem easily.

Basics

The main rule to follow when dealing with files in general is to get in the habit of adding extensions to the end of your files, whether you are on a Mac or not. Some programs have options that will do this for you when you save your files. Macintosh OS does not require extensions because it knows what the file is by its coded contents. Windows OS uses the file extension to know what the file is. (note: on windows there is an option in windows explorer that allows you to hide or unhide the file type extensions. I recommend unhiding the file extensions so that you will become familiar with the different extensions). This extension method comes from the old DOS days, and I think DOS borrowed it from UNIX. We all know UNIX rules, therefore extensions are the norm. So if you use Macintosh, it is good to be familiar with these extensions and be in a habit of including them in your file names. Some examples:

Adding the extensions will ensure that when the file is brought over from Mac to Wintel machine, the Wintel machine will know what the file is. Most applications that are available for both Windows and Macintosh are cross-platform compatible. Meaning you can create the file on a Macintosh and then edit it on Windows, or vice versa. But getting the files from here to there is another issue.

Format Issues

Macintosh used HSF or HSF+ drive format, while Windows uses Fat, Fat32 and NTFS formats.

The Macintosh OS comes with a control panel called File Exchange, that gives it the ability to open Wintel media (floppy, CD, zip disk and etc) without a problem in most cases. Sometimes if CDs are burned on a windows machine using Joliet format, file names will be screwed up if they are over 8 characters long. Macintosh, as of 9.0 can only accept files with names no longer than 32 characters. Macintosh OSX is now a flavor of UNIX. Currently Windows will read filenames of 128 characters. Unfortunately, Windows does not come with a utility to read Macintosh media. You can either put the file on a windows floppy, cd or zip on the Macintosh or purchase translation software for the Windows machine such as MacDrive from Media4.

Transfering Over the LAN

For transferring files over the LAN, you will need to install PCMACLAN or something similar on the Windows machine in order to share files over the network. With Macintosh OS 10 you can use SAMBA.

File Transfering Over the Internet

Transfering files over the internet from one OS to another is a little tricky. You cannot just send files as they are unless they are .jpg, .gif, .txt, or .doc. All other files must be compressed before transmission. The two most common and reliable cross-platform compression formats are .zip for windows (PKZip or WinZip) and .sit for Macintosh ( Aladdin’s Stuffit and Stuffit Deluxe). Other formats include .sea .hqx, .tar, .lha, .lzh and the list goes on. Most of the other formats can only be created on their specific platform and downloaded to that specific platform. Another issue to consider when using other formats other than .zip and .sit is whether the server you are uploading is UNIX, Windows Server, or Macintosh Server. Uploading to a Windows NT Server will corrupt the file regardless if the user with the same OS is going to download the file. UNIX on the other had does not have this problem, though you must include file extension. The Macintosh server is a flavor of UNIX so it is not a problem.

Compression software

An all time winner in my opinion is Aladdin’s Stuffit software that is available for both Macintosh and Windows. They offer free downloads for expanding .sit files. This software is more popular on the Macintosh than Windows. I use it on both platforms. You can find it at www.aladdinsys.com

The most popular application for Windows, is of course, Winzip. You can find this software at www.winzip.com.