Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!mcsun!unido!gmdzi!strobl
From: strobl@gmdzi.UUCP (Wolfgang Strobl)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc
Subject: Re: The Mac's resource fork: does Win 3 have one?
Message-ID: <2987@gmdzi.UUCP>
Date: 4 Jul 90 22:31:37 GMT
References: <2322.268f7cca@csc.anu.oz> <2964@gmdzi.UUCP> <7705@jarthur.Claremont.EDU> <2966@gmdzi.UUCP> <23070@boulder.Colorado.EDU>
Organization: GMD, Sankt Augustin, F. R. Germany
Lines: 25

kassarji@boulder.Colorado.EDU (KASSARJIAN STEVEN J) writes:

>In article <2966@gmdzi.UUCP> strobl@gmdzi.UUCP (Wolfgang Strobl) writes:
>>Why would one want to modify the resource file on the fly? I can think

>One reason is the ability for the user to easily change the functionality of
>the program.  For instance, a number of the readily available text editors 
>for programmers have what I consider inconvenient command key equivalents.
>ResEdit allows users to alter these.
>One of Apple's major reasons for the resource was to make modifying a program
>for use in different countries much easier.  Instead of changing all the text
>in a program from English to French, and then recompiling and relinking, the
>translater merely has to modify the text (e.g., menu titles) in the resource.
>Apologies to those to whom this is old hat.

This includes Windows Programmers, too. There seems to be NO DIFFERENCE
between MS Windows and the Macintosh OS, here. Both separate
programs into a user interface part (icons, bitmaps, menues, keyboard
accelerators, string constants, dialog boxes, ...) and the algorithmic
part. Both do not need a recompilation for changing the user interface.

Wolfgang Strobl


>Steve.