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From: jimb@silvlis.com (Jim Budler)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.apps
Subject: Re: BinHex 5 history (Was: Re: New StuffIt translator modules)
Message-ID: <1991Jan22.165727.2454@silvlis.com>
Date: 22 Jan 91 16:57:27 GMT
References: <42005@nigel.ee.udel.edu> <1991Jan21.045022.9593@silvlis.com>
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In article <1991Jan21.045022.9593@silvlis.com> I write:
>In article <42005@nigel.ee.udel.edu> johnston@oscar.ccm.udel.edu writes:
>>In article <1991Jan17.171813.19497@comp.vuw.ac.nz>, marder@rata.vuw.ac.nz 
>>(Stephen Marder) writes...

>
>BinHex 5.0 abandoned any attempt at binary to ASCII encoding because
>it was no longer needed on the commercial networks. Yves proposed it
>as a standard, and it was accepted by a committee composed of sysops
>from several networks and terminal program vendors.
>
>This became MacBinary. Later it became MacBinary I, when a similar
>committee voted on a downward compatible extension called MacBinary II.
>New capability was mainly the addition of the new Finder flags in the
>header introduced with MultiFinder.

It didn't take long for someone to correct me 8^)

First, Yves didn't propose the standard, he just did an implementation
of it, BinHex 5.

Second, I'm told the new Finder flags have nothing to do with Multifinder.

Third, I'm told there was considerable more new capability than
the Finder flags, including future expansion capabilities and header
CRC, but I will stand by my use of the word "mainly" above. An
expansion capability that is little used to date is hardly a main
feature, even if it is desirable.

That last one is my opinion. My correspondent works at a software
company, and they may plan to use one of these expansion features.
Therefore to them the existence of the feature is a main portion
of the standard. 8^)

jim
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