Re: not there yet (FAQ info)

[pubpc1@library.ucla.edu]

laine@rainbow.rmii.com wrote:
>B.J. Major & Dennis J. Gorin wrote:
>
>: All this is now taken care of for me on the Mac end by the program Randy
>: mentioned in the previous message (ProTYPE).  This is the answer I was
>: looking for and sure beats the hell out of working with that impossible
>: "binscii" program in Applesoft.  I now have absolutely no problems
>: transferring files downloaded from the Mac and using them immediately on
>: the Apple //.  This information definitely needs to be included
>: immediately in the Apple2 FAQ, IMHO.
>
>This is fine if you have a MAC. Relating to this and a previous thread
>Has any one checked out the program A2FX. If memory serves me
>This program will directly read the hfs and strip the resource
>file giving you the data file .
>
>Laine...


Laine, this is the most thoughtful response I've seen so far in this
damn stupid thread.  Despite what Nate says, there is absolutely no
(ZERO) problem downloading on a Mac and using a file on the Apple.
The stupid thing is that because of Nate's anti-Mac :) comments in the
FAQ, people think there is some problem sneakernetting on a _GS_!!!

People, there is _NO_ problem with forked files under a GS.  Just use
GSHK instead of Shrink-It! and GSCII+ instead of BINSCII.  GSHK is
the GS version of Shrink-It! and GSCII+ is the GS version of BINSCII
(and can uuencode and decode as well).  They run under the desktop
environment and need GS/OS.  The Mac _IS NOT_ the only computer in
the world with fork files.  The Apple IIgs under GS/OS (System 5.0
and greater) can handle forked files just fine.  Nate, even if you
must attack Macs, please hammer this fact into the readers' heads.
I must have seen a hundred posts from GS users, with plenty of memory,
who read the FAQ and are trying to decode forked binsciied and shked
files using the older P8 utilities, not knowing that the GSHK and
GSCII+ around the corner don't care shit about resource forks.

Second, on an 8-bit Apple II, where you are forced to use Shrink-It!
and BINSCII under P8, please inform users that Laine is absolutely
correct.  If you save to a Macintosh 800K _HFS_ disk, A2FX will split
resource and data forks, saving the data fork as an independent file.
Yes, A2FX reads _HFS_ disks on an 8-bit Apple II.  Including the A2FX
readme file in the FAQ would be a good idea (very detailed).

Third, ProTYPE seems to work pretty well for Macs.  It actually not
only strips the resource fork, but debinsciis and then sets the
correct ProDOS filetype/auxtype.

Here's a suggestion: how about Steve C., who sells that modem disk
with SHK and BINSCII, also be kind enough to include A2FX on it?
How about a _second_ disk for GS users containing GSHK and GSCII+?

-Scott G.