MacBinary
Encyclopedia
Due to the metadata
-rich nature of the Macintosh
Hierarchical File System
, transferring Mac OS files to platforms that do not support HFS
can be problematic. MacBinary was developed as a means of preserving this structure without sacrificing portability. It combines the data and resource fork
s and the Finder
information of a file into a single document. This document is then suitable for transport via FTP
, the World Wide Web
, and electronic mail. The documents can also be stored on computers that run operating systems with no HFS support, such as Unix
or Windows
.
can extract and decode MacBinary mail messages. Most dedicated FTP programs for the Mac, such as Fetch
and Transmit
, decode MacBinary files they download.
MacBinary is similar to BinHex
, but MacBinary produces binary file
s as opposed to ASCII
text. Thus, MacBinary files take up less disk space than BinHex files, but older applications and servers are more likely to corrupt them.
For Mac OS X
, the MacBinary (and BinHex) format has been largely superseded by the .dmg disk image
format which is mounted as a volume after it has been double-clicked.
author Harry Chesley, et al. Lempereur then added support for MacBinary into BinHex 5.0, using MacBinary to combine the forks instead of his own methods. Most terminal programs and internet
utilities added built-in MacBinary support during this period as well.
Two years later it was updated to MacBinary II, to accommodate changes in Mac OS. MacBinary II remained compatible with subsequent updates of the operating system for some time. This changed with the release of Mac OS 8
, which necessitated the release of MacBinary III in 1996. In the meantime, Apple itself had released the AppleSingle and AppleDouble formats, which serve the same purpose as MacBinary, but correct some problems with it. The AppleSingle and AppleDouble formats were never widely adopted in the user community.
Metadata
The term metadata is an ambiguous term which is used for two fundamentally different concepts . Although the expression "data about data" is often used, it does not apply to both in the same way. Structural metadata, the design and specification of data structures, cannot be about data, because at...
-rich nature of the Macintosh
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
Hierarchical File System
Hierarchical File System
Hierarchical File System is a file system developed by Apple Inc. for use in computer systems running Mac OS. Originally designed for use on floppy and hard disks, it can also be found on read-only media such as CD-ROMs...
, transferring Mac OS files to platforms that do not support HFS
Hierarchical File System
Hierarchical File System is a file system developed by Apple Inc. for use in computer systems running Mac OS. Originally designed for use on floppy and hard disks, it can also be found on read-only media such as CD-ROMs...
can be problematic. MacBinary was developed as a means of preserving this structure without sacrificing portability. It combines the data and resource fork
Resource fork
The resource fork is a construct of the Mac OS operating system used to store structured data in a file, alongside unstructured data stored within the data fork. A resource fork stores information in a specific form, such as icons, the shapes of windows, definitions of menus and their contents, and...
s and the Finder
Macintosh Finder
The Finder is the default file manager used on Mac OS and Mac OS X operating systems; it is responsible for the overall user-management of files, disks, network volumes and the launching of other applications...
information of a file into a single document. This document is then suitable for transport via FTP
File Transfer Protocol
File Transfer Protocol is a standard network protocol used to transfer files from one host to another host over a TCP-based network, such as the Internet. FTP is built on a client-server architecture and utilizes separate control and data connections between the client and server...
, the World Wide Web
World Wide Web
The World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet...
, and electronic mail. The documents can also be stored on computers that run operating systems with no HFS support, such as Unix
Unix
Unix is a multitasking, multi-user computer operating system originally developed in 1969 by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs, including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, Brian Kernighan, Douglas McIlroy, and Joe Ossanna...
or Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
.
Description
Files encoded with MacBinary, regardless of the version, usually have a .bin or .macbin file extension appended to the ends of their filenames. E-mail programs such as EudoraEudora (e-mail client)
Eudora is an e-mail client used on the Apple Macintosh and Microsoft Windows operating systems. It also supports several palmtop computing platforms, including Newton and the Palm OS....
can extract and decode MacBinary mail messages. Most dedicated FTP programs for the Mac, such as Fetch
Fetch (FTP client)
Fetch is a full-featured GUI-based Mac OS-only FTP client made by Fetch Softworks. The latest version of Fetch is 5.6; the long-awaited version 5 was released on May 24, 2005. In addition to basic FTP functionality, Fetch includes such features as editing files without having to download them and...
and Transmit
Transmit (FTP client)
Transmit is an FTP client for Mac OS X and Mac OS Classic . Developed by Panic, Transmit is shareware – after a seven-day trial period, the product can only be used for seven-minute sessions until it has been purchased....
, decode MacBinary files they download.
MacBinary is similar to BinHex
BinHex
BinHex, short for "binary-to-hexadecimal", is a binary-to-text encoding system that was used on the Mac OS for sending binary files through e-mail. It is similar to Uuencode, but combined both "forks" of the Mac file system together, along with extended file information...
, but MacBinary produces binary file
Binary file
A binary file is a computer file which may contain any type of data, encoded in binary form for computer storage and processing purposes; for example, computer document files containing formatted text...
s as opposed to ASCII
ASCII
The American Standard Code for Information Interchange is a character-encoding scheme based on the ordering of the English alphabet. ASCII codes represent text in computers, communications equipment, and other devices that use text...
text. Thus, MacBinary files take up less disk space than BinHex files, but older applications and servers are more likely to corrupt them.
For Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
, the MacBinary (and BinHex) format has been largely superseded by the .dmg disk image
Disk image
A disk image is a single file or storage device containing the complete contents and structure representing a data storage medium or device, such as a hard drive, tape drive, floppy disk, CD/DVD/BD, or USB flash drive, although an image of an optical disc may be referred to as an optical disc image...
format which is mounted as a volume after it has been double-clicked.
History
The first incarnation of MacBinary was released in 1985. The standard was originally specified by Dennis Brothers (author of the terminal program MacTEP and later an Apple employee), BinHex author Yves Lempereur, PackItPackIt
PackIt is a software data compression utility for archiving and compressing files on the Apple Macintosh platform. It was the first such program to see widespread use on the Mac, and most Mac software archives accepted uploads only in PackIt format for some time...
author Harry Chesley, et al. Lempereur then added support for MacBinary into BinHex 5.0, using MacBinary to combine the forks instead of his own methods. Most terminal programs and internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
utilities added built-in MacBinary support during this period as well.
Two years later it was updated to MacBinary II, to accommodate changes in Mac OS. MacBinary II remained compatible with subsequent updates of the operating system for some time. This changed with the release of Mac OS 8
Mac OS 8
Mac OS 8 is an operating system that was released by Apple Computer on July 26, 1997. It represented the largest overhaul of the Mac OS since the release of System 7, some six years previously. It puts more emphasis on color than previous operating systems...
, which necessitated the release of MacBinary III in 1996. In the meantime, Apple itself had released the AppleSingle and AppleDouble formats, which serve the same purpose as MacBinary, but correct some problems with it. The AppleSingle and AppleDouble formats were never widely adopted in the user community.
External links
- Mac Binary Converter, an open source tool for converting between different Macintosh file encodings.
- macutils, converts between different Macintosh file encodings