# Can you answer this computer question? (ClarisWorks on PC) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 3, 2008, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-answer-this-computer-question-clarisworks-on-pc/436080 "2008-02-03T11:06:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2008, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-answer-this-computer-question-clarisworks-on-pc/436080/1 "2008-02-03T11:06:34Z")
Many years ago, I used the Macintosh at work with ClarisWorks as the Word processor. Then we went over to PC’s, but we were able to use ClarisWorks under Windows. So I’ve got lots of these files at home (I work from home sometimes, plus I typed many of my own files in that format). Now my home PC that also had ClarisWorks recently crashed. :eek: (The techie thinks I need a new motherboard.) I’d done a full backup to another PC 🆒 , so I have all the files. But my backup PC doesn’t have ClarisWorks, so I can’t access the files. I had a look on Amazon, but couldn’t see ClarisWorks for sale. Am I stuffed? Can you help? ---
**Author:** ![Myglaren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@Myglaren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myglaren)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2008, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-answer-this-computer-question-clarisworks-on-pc/436080/2 "2008-02-03T11:36:23Z")
This may not be what you want to hear but still: > [@](#): > > In January 1998, Claris Corporation ceased to exist as such. ClarisWorks was brought directly into Apple, and renamed AppleWorks. What had been Claris now became FileMaker, Inc. In March 2000, Apple released AppleWorks 6.0. This was widely perceived as a very minor update, with several problems (e.g. removal of several file translators). Here is a letter I sent to MacInTouch and MacFixit at the time. > > Meanwhile, the guys at Gobe (whom I had since joined) were working on Gobe Productive. This product was the next logical step beyond ClarisWorks, with a more open architecture, but written for the Be operating system (BeOS). There is an interesting back-story here. When Gobe was founded, in late 1996, speculation was widespread that Apple would buy Be, and BeOS would become the basis of the next Mac OS. Thus, Gobe would have a leg up on development for the new platform. However, Apple surprised everyone by buying NeXT instead of Be. NeXTStep became the basis for Mac OS X, and the writing was then on the wall for Be, although most of us refused to read it. BeOS did not survive in the marketplace; thus, neither did Gobe. > > At times over the past few years, there have been rumors and speculation that Apple was working with / had reacquired Gobe and / or the original ClarisWorks team, to produce a new Mac version of AppleWorks based on Gobe Productive. Apple and Gobe did indeed discuss possibilities at various points in Gobe’s history; however, I am not at liberty to go into details. Apple did not in the end acquire Gobe as such, but three of its founders, Scott Holdaway, Scott Lindsey, and Carl Grice, did rejoin Apple as employees when Gobe failed. They won’t tell me what they are up to (even off the record!), but whatever it is, it does not involve the Gobe Productive codebase. Nor, I am reasonably sure, does it involve the ClarisWorks / AppleWorks codebase. ([A Brief History Of Claris Works](http://www-swiss.ai.mit.edu/~bob/clarisworks.php)) Haven’t been able to check it out yet but maybe Open Office will support Clarisworks file formats? ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2008, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-answer-this-computer-question-clarisworks-on-pc/436080/3 "2008-02-03T13:33:15Z")
Thanks for that. 🙂 I tried using Microsoft Office 2007 to open ClarisWorks files (using the _._ filetype) and it seems to recover 95%+ of the data. ---
**Author:** ![Myglaren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@Myglaren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myglaren)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2008, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-answer-this-computer-question-clarisworks-on-pc/436080/4 "2008-02-03T13:38:50Z")
That sounds pretty good as ‘2007’ has a reputation of being unable to handle previous Microsoft file formats without considerable jiggery-pokery. An older version (XP/2003) might be able to recover the lot? ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2008, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-answer-this-computer-question-clarisworks-on-pc/436080/5 "2008-02-04T17:51:50Z")
[QUOTE=Myglaren] That sounds pretty good as ‘2007’ has a reputation of being unable to handle previous Microsoft file formats without considerable jiggery-pokery. An older version (XP/2003) might be able to recover the lot? [/QUOTE] Thanks - I’ll see if I can get hold of that version. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2008, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-answer-this-computer-question-clarisworks-on-pc/436080/6 "2008-02-04T21:43:39Z")
I have DataViz MacLink Plus which is a format-converter (you’re probably familiar with it if you were on MacOS for very long). It handles ClarisWorks for Windows, versions 1-5 it looks like. If you wish, and assuming confidentiality is not a concern in the legal sense of the word & etc, I’ll convert them for you. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2008, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-answer-this-computer-question-clarisworks-on-pc/436080/7 "2008-02-05T00:05:52Z")
[QUOTE=AHunter3] I have DataViz MacLink Plus which is a format-converter (you’re probably familiar with it if you were on MacOS for very long). It handles ClarisWorks for Windows, versions 1-5 it looks like. If you wish, and assuming confidentiality is not a concern in the legal sense of the word & etc, I’ll convert them for you. [/QUOTE] That’s really kind of you! 😃 Actually I am having success with telling Word 2007 to open these files as ‘recover text’ format. Since most of them are simple text files, only a few characters are not translated correctly. But if I run into trouble, I will ask you for help.