reading files in octet-stream

[Deron Meranda]

On Sun, 2 Jan 2005 12:40:59 -0800 (PST), Globe Trotter
<itsme_410 at yahoo.com> wrote:
> how does one convert the following file to read it?
> 
> file -i temp
> temp: application/octet-stream

The term "octet stream" is just a fancy way of saying arbitrary
binary data (a stream of 8-bit bytes).

Since the file is unidentified, what you mean by "reading" it is also not
well defined. I assume you're trying to figure out what's in it.

One of the first tools you can use is the strings(1) command...it will
attempt to find and extract the printable text inside a binary file.  You
also can use hexdump(1) (or the older od(1) for Unix folk).  And
finally the emacs editor has wonderful binary data capabilities
for editing and viewing binary data files.   That's a start anyway.....
read the manpages.

-- 
Deron Meranda