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PDB to SXW Converter

PDB to SXW — create readable documents online

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Any Device, Any OS

Desktop, laptop, tablet, phone — the converter handles PDB to SXW equally well on every device and operating system.

Fast Processing

Most PDB to SXW conversions complete within seconds. Upload, convert, and download — the entire workflow takes under a minute.

Reliable Output

Count on accurate results from your PDB to SXW conversion. The converter faithfully reproduces your original content.

How to convert PDB to SXW

1

Select files from Computer, Google Drive, Dropbox, URL or by dragging it on the page.

2

Choose sxw or any other format you need as a result (more than 200 formats supported)

3

Let the file convert and you can download your sxw file right afterwards

About formats

PDB (Palm Database) is a generic database container format created by Palm, Inc. for the Palm OS platform, first appearing with the original PalmPilot in March 1996. In the ebook context, PDB files most commonly use the PalmDOC or Plucker encoding to store readable text with basic formatting. The format consists of a 78-byte header identifying the database name, creation date, and record count, followed by a record index table and the data records themselves. PalmDOC-encoded PDB files use a simple LZ77-based compression scheme to pack plain text efficiently, while Plucker extends this with HTML rendering, image support, and hyperlink navigation. PDB ebooks powered a thriving mobile reading ecosystem years before dedicated e-readers existed — millions of Palm OS users carried entire libraries on devices like the Palm V, Tungsten, and Treo handhelds. A primary advantage is extreme simplicity: the flat record structure and minimal overhead mean PDB files parse instantly even on severely constrained hardware with limited memory and processing power. The open, well-documented structure is another strength, having spawned numerous reader applications across Palm OS, Windows, and later mobile platforms. Though the Palm platform is long discontinued, PDB ebooks remain accessible through conversion tools and readers like Calibre, and the format holds historical significance as one of the earliest practical mobile ebook solutions.
Developer: Palm, Inc.
Initial release: March 1996
SXW is the word processing document format used by StarOffice 6.0 and OpenOffice.org 1.0, developed by Sun Microsystems and released in 2002. The format was one of the first mainstream office document formats to adopt an XML-based architecture, packaging document content, styles, metadata, and embedded media in a ZIP archive — a structural approach that directly influenced the later OpenDocument Format (ODF). The content.xml file describes the document body using XML elements for paragraphs, headings, lists, tables, footnotes, and inline formatting, while styles.xml defines the styling rules and meta.xml carries document properties. SXW represented a significant milestone in open-source office software, demonstrating that a non-proprietary XML format could handle the full range of word processing features including change tracking, indexes, cross-references, and complex page layouts. One advantage was transparency and openness — the XML structure made document content inspectable, transformable, and processable using standard tools, a sharp contrast to the opaque binary formats dominant at the time. The format's role as a technological precursor to the ODF standard is another historical significance: the OASIS OpenDocument Technical Committee used the OpenOffice.org XML format (including SXW) as the starting point for developing ODF 1.0. While SXW was superseded by ODT with OpenOffice.org 2.0 in 2005, existing SXW documents can be opened by LibreOffice, Apache OpenOffice, and document conversion tools.
Developer: Sun Microsystems
Initial release: 2002

Frequently Asked Questions

Why convert PDB to SXW?

SXW provides legacy OpenOffice format — converting from the obsolete PDB format makes your content accessible on modern devices.

What programs open SXW files?

For SXW files, try LibreOffice Writer, OpenOffice Writer. Cross-platform support means you can access them on any operating system.

Can I edit the resulting SXW file?

Yes, if you open the SXW file in a compatible editor. You can modify content, reformat, or extract elements as needed.

Is batch conversion to SXW supported?

Yes — upload multiple PDB files and convert them all to SXW in one session, saving time on repetitive tasks.

Does this work on mobile?

The PDB to SXW converter is browser-based and functions on all devices — mobile, tablet, and desktop alike.

Will my content be preserved in the SXW output?

The converter places your PDB content into the SXW document structure, keeping it intact and accessible.