Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!apple!dlyons
From: dlyons@Apple.COM (David Lyons)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple
Subject: Re: (none)
Message-ID: <31989@apple.Apple.COM>
Date: 30 May 89 18:02:21 GMT
References: <8905290916.AA04844@crash.cts.com>
Organization: Apple Computer Inc, Cupertino, CA
Lines: 35

In article <8905290916.AA04844@crash.cts.com> pnet01!pro-sol!pro-carolina!pro-abilink!lexter@nosc.mil writes:
>
>Dave Lyons writes --
>
>>Having resource forks doesn't let you do anything you couldn't have done
>>with them.  On the other hand, they let you do things faster and typically
[Whoops--meant "without."  Duh.]
>>with less code.  Sure, your programs *could* read everything you might ever
>>want to custoze out of separate files--but they don't!
>
>Yes, as a matter of fact if the resource files are to be implemented like the
>Mac's then we will be able to have icons and various other information about
>each file within the fork.

That's right.  Things of that sort will be possible as soon as System Disk 5.0
is released.

>                           But, as of now (according to the last Tech Note I
>read) they are not to be used nor to be tampered with in any software to be
>released.  In other words? they are planning to standardize them for
>something???

Yes--starting with System Disk 5.0, there is a Resource Manager that provides
a structure for resource forks.  All access to the resource fork should be
done through the resource manager, except for operations that don't care about
the organization of the data in there (like copying a file).

 --Dave Lyons, Apple Computer, Inc.          |   DAL Systems
   AppleLink--Apple Edition: DAVE.LYONS      |   P.O. Box 875
   AppleLink--Personal Edition: Dave Lyons   |   Cupertino, CA 95015-0875
   GEnie: D.LYONS2 or DAVE.LYONS         CompuServe: 72177,3233
   Internet/BITNET:  dlyons@apple.com    UUCP:  ...!ames!apple!dlyons

   My opinions are my own, not Apple's.