Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!mcgill-vision!snorkelwacker!apple!daveo
From: daveo@Apple.COM (David M. O'Rourke)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc
Subject: Re: The Mac's resource fork: does Win 3 have one?
Message-ID: <42595@apple.Apple.COM>
Date: 3 Jul 90 07:34:02 GMT
References: <2322.268f7cca@csc.anu.oz> <2964@gmdzi.UUCP> <7705@jarthur.Claremont.EDU> <2966@gmdzi.UUCP>
Organization: Apple Computer Inc, Cupertino, CA
Lines: 27

strobl@gmdzi.UUCP (Wolfgang Strobl) writes:
>I know nearly nothing of the Mac's API, but I am willing to learn.
>Why would one want to modify the resource file on the fly? I can think
>about a few reasons myself, and there is surely a lack of system call support
>in the resource area of MS Windows. But there are other features (dynamic link
>libraries, for example) which could compensate for that. But this
>depends on what the system calls you refer to are used for.

  Storing of preference's and such type of data is one reason.  Another is
to allow programmer's to store "ANY" kind of data that is a unit of information.
The Mac's resource fork allows you to keep status information about other
resources, or even the data in the data fork.  In addition it is a miny
data base manager, although it's slow, it is possible to read resources in
modify them and then write them out with out worrying about the "placement"
of the information within the file, and without disrupting the "stream" data
in the data fork.  This allows several program's to store status information
about the same data file, without stepping on one another.

  If you'd like more detail I'd be happy to discuss the advantages of the
resource file concept, and point out some of the problems with the Mac's
current implemenation.  The concept is sound and more extensive that 
Window's current view, but the Mac's implementation is somewhat limited due
to the early requirments of the 128K mac...but that's another story.
-- 
daveo@apple.com                                               David M. O'Rourke
_______________________________________________________________________________
I do not speak for Apple in *ANY* official capacity.