[KS] liquidating my past Mac HWP files

[T.N. Park]

There are obviously two different issues here.

First, as far as liquidating your files, I'm not sure if this is necessary.
HWP, back when it was still going strong (i.e., prior to when Microsoft
tried to buy them out) was very forward-thinking in the way they had
developed their flagship program across these two widely used platforms
(while PCs remain the dominant computer by far among most Korean users, Macs
still dominate in publishing, recording, editing, and content design).

HWP created their .hwp files to be very much like MS's .doc files today:
they open fairly seamlessly across platforms. In other words, you need not
liquidate anything. As long as the .hwp files have the .hwp suffix attached
to them (and if they don't, all you have to do is add it), and they follow
the other idiosyncrasies of PC file naming protocol, there should be no
reason why an up-to-date version of HWP for PC would not open them. I
routinely open files made on with HWP '96 for Mac on PCs in the office or at
school, and vice versa, as I do with MS Word files made on the two
platforms, in the two languages (Korean and English).

Second, though I won't suggest that you stay a Mac user over this issue, I
would like to say in general that with the advent of OSX, using Korean on an
English-language Mac machine has been fairly easy. In fact, it has become
rather trouble-free since Apple got rid of the language kits that had to be
purchased separately. One notable exception is Microsoft Word's tendency to
allot two spaces for one character in some configurations of Korean, but in
OSX, that has mostly disappeared.

OSX has also included, as standard, an ISO input system that includes very
easy-to-type breves, the diacritical marks above the 'o' and 'u' required by
the McCune-Reischauer system.

It is very unfortunate that HWP has become frozen in time like this. It
appears to be losing ground among PC users who need to write considerable
amounts of English, as the "free" MS Word seems easier and better. But the
national pride felt by many Koreans over the existence of such a
linguistically complete program as HWP may end up leading to its
resurrection. Apple Korea, I believe, has been trying to work with HWP to
make an OSX version of the word processor, but with no real luck. However,
they have also been working with a Silicon Valley-based Korean-run company
that is coming out soon with an "office" suite that manages .hwp files in
OSX.

T'NP

Ross King wrote:
> I apologize for posting a completely unrelated query in the middle of this
> useful discussion of kwake chengsan.
> 
> But if there is anybody from the list here in Seoul where I am for the next 10
> months who has any experience with the Mac version of HWP/'Arae hangul 96' [no
> longer available or supported...], I am desperate for some assistance as I try
> to liquidate my Mac past and past Mac HWP files and start a new life on the
> much superior [at least as far as Korean is concerned] PC. If any such kind
> Seoul-based soul (and Korean Studies person similarly foolish enough to have
> committed to the Mac years ago despite its miserable Korean Language Kit)
> lurks on this list, do please contact me at jrpking at interchange.ubc.ca.