"File types"

[Cameron Kaiser]

> > > > However, when storing Mac files on, say, a FAT volume, a hidden
> > > > folder is
> > > > made to hold the additional data in the resource fork. This includes
> > > > type/creator information.

> > > Ah, OK.  So the OS already has provisions to handle it and
> > > hides those details from the user.  I.e. it does the things
> > > I was insinuating the user would have to do, manually.

> > Yes, it's totally transparent. This was very nice for taking 3.5" disks
> > between my IIsi and the DOS PCs at work back when I sneakernetted
> everything.

> On a FAT volume the fork gets stripped away, so taking the file and putting
> it back on the Mac without the resource fork the Mac OS will not know what
> to do with it (ruins the file).

Only if you don't copy it on a Mac, which is more or less what I think the
original poster was talking about. If you do this on a PC, which has no
concept of file forks, then I think it's obvious you'd wreck the file in that
instance.

If, however, you copy the file onto a FAT floppy and don't mess with it on
a non-Mac system, the resource fork will still survive and other Macs can
access it even though the filesystem is FAT and not HFS or HFS+.

-- 
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  Cameron Kaiser * Floodgap Systems * www.floodgap.com * ckaiser at floodgap.com
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