Knowing What Apps Open What Files

Echosyn

Echosyn

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Mac Tiger and Leopard regularly ask me to choose an app for opening files such as email attachments. That is fine for those who have knowledge of apps, the diversity of files and how the associations work. Others are left to fumble in the dark. Tutorials on "How To Choose An Application To Open A File" are numerous. I have not found a concise and complete tutorial on understanding apps and the files they open. If I knew this I could choose an application.
Any suggestions, links etc?
 
One method is a google search for the file's extension. That will bring up one of the file extension "de-mystifier" sites as a choice. That will tell you something about the app or apps that create that file, and usually a listing of a variety of apps that can open that file.
You'll soon learn which extensions are for graphics files (jpg, tif, gif, raw, etc), and which are for other types of files, such as text files (txt, doc, rtf, etc.)

Do you get such a huge variety of different files, that you can't guess what type of file you have?
The common graphics files will often open with Preview.
Common text files may open with TextEdit, although other word processors would be good to have around, such as NeoOffice, or a "master" text processor such as TextWrangler.
It would help to know what types of files you typically get....
 
At a thrift store I found Mac OSX All-In-One Desk Reference For Dummies 2005 by Mark L. Chambers. Chapter 7 QuickTime Can Do That.
Wikipedia article boggles the brain:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_file_formats
In this 'puter are: TextEdit, Preview, Quicktime, NeoOffice, PowerPoint, Adobe Reader, Flip4Mac, and Java. I'll spend some time getting intimate with them. Might give TextWrangler a whirl.
Occasionally I get a file with extension .exe and fumble with trying to get it open then get pissed and dump it. Your hint about a search on the extension sounds like the ticket. Thanks!
 
If you are still using the PPC G4 Mac, then I can say you won't be able to use any files with an .exe extension, as those require MS Windows in some form. You can drag those straight to the trash, no frustration needed.... :D
What other types of files do you typically get as attachments?
 
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