Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ukma!gatech!bloom-beacon!apple!keith
From: keith@Apple.COM (Keith Rollin)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple
Subject: Re: Apple IIgs future
Message-ID: <25160@apple.Apple.COM>
Date: 2 Feb 89 01:46:09 GMT
References: <8901291814.aa20287@SMOKE.BRL.MIL> <9547@smoke.BRL.MIL> <25074@apple.Apple.COM> <9559@smoke.BRL.MIL>
Organization: Apple Computer Inc, Cupertino, CA
Lines: 21

In article <9559@smoke.BRL.MIL> gwyn@brl.arpa (Doug Gwyn (VLD/VMB) <gwyn>) writes:
>In article <25074@apple.Apple.COM> keith@Apple.COM (Keith Rollin) writes:
>[examples of using "resource forks"]
>
>But all those could just as easily have been achieved by using ordinary
>data files.  Why is a "split personality" file particularly useful?

Because then the resources, or data, will travel with the application. If you
copy the application, you have the data that it needs to run. If you have the
resources in a separate data file, then you have to make sure that you copy
it along with the application. You also run into the problem of filenames. If
you have your resources in a data file, the application needs to know where to
find it. If the user changes the name <somehow>, then the application is hosed.

-----

Keith Rollin  ---  Apple Computer, Inc.  ---  Developer Technical Support
INTERNET: keith@apple.com
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      "You can do what you want to me, but leave my computer alone!"