Hello: I am writing to ask a couple of questions about reading file formats. I checked the Blinux list archive and there is reference to xpdf. My query is: Has anyone been able to read PDF files in a shel environment and if so how can this be achieved? Whilst I am at this, is there a way to read Word files as well. There must be conversion programs that will do these formats to HTML or ASCII. Any assistance is appreciated. This maybe a common question that ought to be added to the FAQ. Mark Muscat