The Machine Cancel Society (MCS) offers various documents in electronic formats. This web page describes how to extract specific documents from a ZIP archive.
File archiving is as old as the Internet. One of the earliest, and longest-lived systems is called ZIP. One or more files are enclosed in a single file, usually with compression to save space and connect time.
The Society offers selected electronic documents in ZIP format, both to deliver multiple files in one bundle, as well as to enclose and compress a particular document. When we have ZIPed several files together in one archive, we call it a "website-in-a-box", a configuration that makes it easy to view a particular multipart document using only your web browser without connecting to the internet.
When you are dealing with a ZIP archive, you cannot use the enclosed electronic document(s), unless you first extract all the component files from the ZIP archive. For example, we enclosed a number of files for later viewing as a "website-in-a-box" into Barlow's Boston Machine Cancel Exhibit (set 1) (ZIP file with the exhibit contents).
First of all, when you see a link, such as that listed above, you want to download the file. The typical way to perform this, is to right-click on the link, and use the "Save As" (or "save link as..") menu item that your browser displays. Be sure to remember where you saved the ZIP file. If you just click on the link, many browsers will offer you the chance to download the file. (Some may offer the option to "Open" the file, while others will immediately download the file.)
Once downloaded, extracting the contents of ZIP files is very easy if you are using the Windows (tm) operating system. Simply double-click on the ".zip" file that you just downloaded. Windows versions after approximately "95" will automatically display the "Archive" contents to you. Copy the files from the content list of the archive to the desired location on your system. Once copied, you can use the enclosed file(s) on your computer. See the links near the bottom of this page for using other electronic formats.
If you are not using Windows, you can still extract ZIP archive contents. There is a very good free product called 7ZIP, which has been released for a wide variety of phones, tablets, and computer systems. Download and use that product (or App) to extract the ZIP contents. You can get a free copy of 7ZIP from the website 7ZIP Download. Near the bottom of the web page are listed the non-Windows systems for which you can get a free copy of 7ZIP. Follow their installation instructions. Use your App "store" on the phone or tablet to get the 7ZIP App for your particular device.
WARNING! When you wish to download the 7ZIP program, be sure that you are using the "7-zip.org" internet address! Recently, some bad characters have populated the ".com" address of 7ZIP with dangerous software releases that appear to be official versions!
It is NOT RECOMMENDED that you download 3rd-party software from just any "find free software here" website. Use the official product website, such as the 7ZIP (.org) link given above. Unofficial software could contain malware, and other inappropriate programs!
Once you have unpacked the desired file(s) from the ZIP archive, you may find the following links to be helpful, if the contents of the ZIP archive are of these types:
PDF: (Adobe Portable Document Format) Files
MOBI and AZW3: Amazon Kindle (tm) Book Files
EPUB: Standard Ebook Format Files
NOTE: There is one more "format" we are using, which we call "website-in-a-box". The example Barlow exhibit link above contains a set of files that make up a stand-alone web page containing his exhibit contents. To view the exhibit, you extract the entire ZIP contents into a new, empty, folder (directory) on your computer, phone, or tablet. Then, make your web browser open the "index.html" file in that group of files. (This is usually the "Open" menu selection.) Your browser will then become the document "reader" as you view Bill Barlow's award-winning exhibit. Once the contents are loaded on your computer, phone, or tablet, you do not need to be connected to the internet, and you do not need any special viewer tool, aside from your browser. There are several such packages stored on the Society's website, and they will be identified as such.
Contact information for the Society's President.
Updated 11 February 2026
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