Re: Help: Writing PRODOS disks from a MAC?

[shack@deimos.frii.com (Randy Shackelford)]

In article <53uatv$j7m@darla.visi.com>, Nathan Mates <nathan@visi.com> wrote:
>In article <JRD.96Oct14094308@hotsprings>, John Dunning <jrd@hotsprings> wrote:

>>I've been helping a (mostly non-computer-literate, so far) friend get
>>his IIgs configured and running.  I've downloaded a bunch of stuff
>>from various archives, using my mac, and dumped them on
>>prodos-formatted disks.  The IIgs can read the disks, but when I try
>>to bootstrap BINSCII, by going to basic and EXEC'ing the BINSCII.EXE
>>file, basic complains "FILE TYPE MISMATCH".  Other programs complain
>>similarly when trying to read the files I've downloaded.
>
>>A bit of digging reveals that the mac seems to have written files with
>>prodos file-type $00.  My surmise is that it's supposed to be some
>>code that signifies a text file.
>
>   Nah, it's because of the Mac's silly and unnecessary habit of
>forcing the adddding of resource forks to files, either in downloading
>or copying to ProDOS disks. If the file doesn't have a resource fork,
>the FAQ lists how to change the filetype; if it does have a resource
>fork, there are several things you can do on the mac side of things to
>get binscii unpacked.

Speaking of silly and unnecessary, did you know that ProDOS 8 returns
unsupported storage_type when you try to rename an extended file? Can't
see any reason for that.

>   [Yes, there are Apple II programs that'll rip off the resource
>forks.  However, they're stored in binscii and/or shrinkit archives,
>which you don't have the ability to unpack. Thus, a classic case of a
>can opener contained in the middle of a tin can...]

I just had another idea to get around this problem. Suppose we put a disk
copy image of a 3.5 ProDOS disk which contains binscii and Shrinkit and
other handy utilities on one of the popular ftp sites. This would convert on
the Mac and work on a 3.5 equipped II pretty as you please. Maybe even make
it bootable unless people would bellow if it had system software on it. I 
doubt anyone could muck up getting software running on their II if they 
downloaded such a disk.
-- 
Randy Shackelford                                 
shack@frii.com