Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!snorkelwacker!apple!dlyons
From: dlyons@Apple.COM (David A. Lyons)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple
Subject: Re: Finder Data File Format
Keywords: finder, icons, folders, desktop
Message-ID: <38574@apple.Apple.COM>
Date: 13 Feb 90 00:06:31 GMT
References: <9001260129.AA04439@apple.com> <38342@apple.Apple.COM> <1214@darkstar.ucsc.edu>
Organization: Apple Computer Inc, Cupertino, CA
Lines: 41

In article <1214@darkstar.ucsc.edu> lunatic@ucscb.UCSC.EDU (Lunatic) writes:

Dave Lyons sed:
>(Writing a program that modifies the files is not a very good idea,
>though.)

lunatic@ucscb.UCSC.EDU (Lunatic) sez:
>   As the official Apple line goes, they reserve the right to change
>the format of any undocumented files that they please.
>   As MY line goes:  If they change this file format now, any later
>applications using it will choke on the earlier format.  One of the
>things Apple strives for the most is downward compatibility (the GS
>can still run Applevision and Little Brickout, can't it?) so any
>files created using this format now have a very good chance of
>remaining valid later.  Oh, and there are already a few programs out
>that allow you to change the data in FINDER.DEF.

Yes, Apple wants current software to keep working in the future.

These days a major way of accomplishing this is getting folks not to
depend on things that are not guaranteed to stay the same later.  If the
Finder.Data format changes, a new -Finder- would have to know about the
old format as well as the new one, and the -current- Finder will have
to at least know not to interpret the new data.  It looks like there is
a version number in there, but it hasn't been documented).

Yes, AppleVision and Little Brickout still work--because Integer BASIC
has not been revised at all, and Applesoft has been revised extremely
little.

Developers need to be careful not to inadvertantly help superglue the
system into its current state.
-- 

 --David A. Lyons, Apple Computer, Inc.      |   DAL Systems
   Apple II Developer Technical Support      |   P.O. Box 875
   America Online: 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.