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From: rsfinn@athena.mit.edu (Russell S. Finn)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: ResEdit
Message-ID: <1990Jan5.225328.26846@athena.mit.edu>
Date: 5 Jan 90 22:53:28 GMT
References: <731@studsys.mu.edu>
Sender: news@athena.mit.edu (News system)
Reply-To: rsfinn@athena.mit.edu (Russell S. Finn)
Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Lines: 23

In article <731@studsys.mu.edu> markr@studsys.UUCP (rodenkirch) writes:
>I would really like to know why ResEdit does not have the capability to
>read data forks?  Did Apple do this on purpose?

Because it's a RESource EDITor.  Resources live in resource forks, not
data forks.  If you want to read the data fork, use a data editor,
like FEdit Plus (the commercial version, which is compatible with
HFS), or MacSnoop, or SUM Tools, or...  Besides, it took Apple *years*
to get ResEdit to the point where it would work fairly reliably on
resource files.  You want data files, too!? :-)

I'm trying not to come on too strong, but comments like this always
sound to me like "Why can't I use my power drill to saw a piece of
wood in half?"  Use the right tool for the right job, my father always
said.

If what you're really asking is "Why doesn't Apple supply a reliable
data editor, as well as a resource editor?", well, I don't know.
Apple used to send out an early version of FEdit when it was still
shareware, which is probably one of the major reasons why it is no
longer shareware.

-- Russ