Re: DSK Woes and other stories

[Rubywand <rubywand@swbell.net>]

Frank Townsend writes ...
> 
> I have the last free complete version available from the Apple FTP site
> (7.5.3, I think).
> 
> I have a feeling that the only reason the files aren't forked is because I'm
> FTP'ing them as binary files.  I use the NCSA free Telnet client which
> includes an FTP server.  I set the preferences to Binary filetype BINA.
> Dunno, really, but it works.
>
 ....

     It seems likely that a Mac running
a version of Mac System which expects
ProDOS files to have a resource fork
would insist that any file placed on a
ProDOS disk would be forked (even if the
fork had to be created and the file's
directory entry changed).  Supposedly, a
file downloaded to an HFS disk would not
need to be forked.

     Mostly, it looks like you do not
have problems with having your files
messed up with added resource forks
because your Mac OS doesn't know about
resource forks; or, possibly, it does
know about them but does not insist that
ProDOS files have a resource fork-- e.g.
like GS System.  (I'm pretty sure
ProType's main job is to just eliminate
the problem of having ProDOS files with
type $00.)


     Downloading from an ftp site in
binary mode should eliminate the chance
for Text mode corruption of a file, at
least on a PC. (Text mode corruption on
a PC usually takes the form of having
bytes added to 'fix' what are taken to
be incomplete line-enders.)  I do not
know what kind of adjustements, if any,
a Mac makes to downloaded files it
believes are Text.
   
     Similarly, downloading a file with
a Mime type recognized as binary (e.g. a
.zip file) by the source server usually
eliminates the chance for Text mode
corruption for http downloads via a
browser.

     Anyway, downloading via ftp using a
dedicated ftp program is a pretty good
way to go (when possible); but, it seems
unlikely that whether or not a file
becomes forked would be affected.

> 
> I now have the newest version of DSK2FILE ver. 5.7 from  Ron Kneusel.  It is
> Freeware (by which he means copyrighted free software) and is really nice.
> It allows you to toggle DOS 3.3 and ProDOS sector ordering as well as other
> things which were harder to do in the older version.
 ....

     Ron's DSK2FILE is a tried and true
disk image utility.  (Seems like ages
ago that someone on this newsgroup
answered my question about how to
convert disk images with "Get DSK2FILE".
Actually, it was ages ago!)




Rubywand