[Gllug] Opening MacBinary files in Linux

[mriscott at yahoo.co.uk]

> I'm not too up on Macs but as I understand it MacBinary format is
> like a wrapper that stores the data and metadata separately and I just
> need to extract the data.

Hmm.  The thing with macs is that the data and metadata are stored in
separate "forks" of the file (known as the data and resource forks).
What MacBinary does is to munge them into the data fork, producing one
"normal" file, which can be passed over FTP, etc.

Typically, mac formats will store different stuff in data and resource
forks - so you wouldn't necessarily be able to open them with windows
word, let alone abiword.  You might expect to get text-without-pictures
or something, but you may well just get something unreadable.


If you unMacBinary a file on a "single-fork" filesystem, I guess you'd
either just get the data fork (I think thats what stuffit expander does
on windows), or you'd get the resource fork hidden in a .Resource.frk
directory or somesuch.

You may find the only way to get the data out is to load it on a mac
and Save As word for windows or somesuch.

Sorry - I know that's probably not what you want to hear.

Having said that, IIRC the text is available in the middle of a word doc
- if you edit it with a normal text editor, you may be able to extract
that - but obviously you will then lose formatting, pictures, etc.

Ian


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