app bundle will execute the internal executable and load your application.
But you should open Word and try to open the file from Word's File menu rather than trying to double-click on the file. Give their age not even today's Word can open them directly. Those old Word files were saved in a binary format, hence, the are interpreted as such.
With Notepad, you don’t need the complete path but with other third-party apps that you’ve. All you need to do is enter the path to the EXE or a shortcut of the app. You can use this same command to open an app on Windows 10. In fact, it will open in the default app that’s set for that particular file type.
