Re: Help on downloading MACintosh files

[Info-Mac]

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From: [email protected]
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Subject: Re: Help on downloading MACintosh files
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Date: Thu, 1-Nov-84 22:04:49 EST
Article-I.D.: uw-beave.2069
Posted: Thu Nov 1 22:04:49 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 3-Nov-84 01:43:25 EST
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Organization: U of Washington Computer Science
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From: Bill Croft

Date: Mon, 29 Oct 84 12:45:10 PST
From: Matthew J Weinstein
Subject: Re: Help on downloading MACintosh files

Why weren't DL files defined to use 6 bits per character? This would
have yielded only 25% waste, instead of 50%. There are 64 printable
characters in ASCII, I think. Also, the most brain-damaged machines I
can think of, short of a 4004, have at least a 6-bit character set.

Just curious.

- Matt
----

The fromhex/tohex stuff was only intended as a primitive way to
download programs in the early (June) version of our SUMacC cross
development system. It was made to be as simple as possible. We never
intended it as a universal mail-media for Mac programs. It just began
to be used that way.

Actually, as I understand it, the BINHEX format (used on Compuserve
MAUG) is somewhat more general, in that it allows the data, resource,
and 'finder info' (4 bytes each of type/owner) portions of a file to be
represented as one hex collection of stuff. Again, though, it's hex
instead of sixbit. Also, it only exists right now as a 500 line
MS-Basic program. Fromhex.c is only 30 lines long.

Frankly I store all this stuff in 8-bit '.rsrc' files on my UNIX. You
could use UNIX 'uucp' 'uuencode' (a six bit format) if you want to
mail these files most efficiently.