Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 UW 5/3/83; site uw-beaver Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!cbosgd!ihnp4!houxm!hogpc!houti!ariel!vax135!cornell!uw-beaver!info-mac From: info-mac@uw-beaver.UUCP Newsgroups: fa.info-mac Subject: Re: Help on downloading MACintosh files Message-ID: <2067@uw-beaver> Date: Thu, 1-Nov-84 20:36:48 EST Article-I.D.: uw-beave.2067 Posted: Thu Nov 1 20:36:48 1984 Date-Received: Sat, 3-Nov-84 02:36:33 EST Sender: yenbut@uw-beave Organization: U of Washington Computer Science Lines: 32 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.