desktop search recommendations

[Ned Bedinger]

Gordon McLean wrote:

> There are hundreds of different file types, I doubt any single tool could
> index them all.

The last time I looked, most file types stored text content as 
unmodified text.

To see this, make a copy of a Word file that has some text in it. 
Then, in a DOS Window (aka, "Command Window"), execute this command:

type <your Word filename> | more

Scroll thru a few screenfuls by pressing the spacebar once to scroll 
once.  You should start to see the text scrolling by after the Word 
header has gone past.

Do this with a copy of any file you want. If it has text in it, it is 
probably viewable this way.


> No offence Ned, but I doubt your homemade indexer could either.

Heck, Gordo.  It is just a matter of opening disk files and looking for 
text in them.  Machine indexing does not need to know what application 
created the file.

> 
> Or maybe the documentation says that because legal said to put it in?? ;-)
> 

Now we're talking like hardworking people of business.  Say hello to the 
family for me :-)


All standard disclaimers etc.

Ned Bedinger
doc at edwordsmith.com



> 
> -----Original Message-----
>> "Searchable file types
>> Microsoft Windows Desktop Search indexes more than 200 of the most 
>> common file types, all of which are listed below.
>>
>> However, Windows Desktop Search cannot index every type of file. 
> 
> 
> So if my homemade indexer could do that, and it was just stock VB that I
> used to do it, I wonder what's with WDS in this regard?