
hfsutils - tools for reading and writing Macintosh HFS volumes
Copyright (C) 1996, 1997 Robert Leslie

$Id: README,v 1.3 1997/08/13 23:09:09 rob Exp $

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What is this?

  HFS is the "Hierarchical File System" used on modern Macintosh computers.
  With this package, you can read and write Macintosh-formatted media such as
  floppy disks, CD-ROMs, and SCSI hard disks on most UNIX platforms. You can
  also format raw media into an HFS volume.

  This package contains a number of different tools:

    * Several command-line programs (hmount, hls, hcopy, et al.)
    * A Tk-based front-end for browsing and copying files through a
        variety of transfer modes (MacBinary, BinHex, text, etc.)
    * A Tcl package and interface for scriptable access to volumes
    * A C library for low-level access to volumes

How is this different from other HFS packages?

  This package attempts to provide a portable, free implementation of
  routines for accessing HFS volumes. It is implemented as a set of user-level
  tools to provide maximum portability.

  The command-line programs are intended to be used in the same vein as the
  Mtools command-line programs used to access MS-DOS filesystems.

  The graphical front-end provides point-and-click access to Macintosh
  volumes, which is often more convenient than the command line.

  The Tcl interface offers a scriptable HFS "shell" that is more efficient
  than the external command-line programs and allows for greater
  extensibility.

  The C library can be linked with other programs wanting to manipulate
  Macintosh files in their native format. For example, an implementation of
  the Macintosh Resource Manager could be built on top of this library to
  provide seamless access to data objects contained within the resource forks
  of Macintosh files.

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Notes on this release

  This release uses GNU autoconf to automatically configure the software
  for installation and use on your system. This means you should not have
  to modify any files by hand to get the software to compile -- if you do,
  please let me know so I can fix it for a future release.

  For general installation instructions, please read the `INSTALL' file.

  There are a few special options you can give the `configure' program that
  you should know about:

      --with-tcl            build the Tcl/Tk components
      --with-tk             build the Tk-based X interface `xhfs'
      --disable-cli         do not build or install the command-line utils
      --enable-devlibs      enable installation of the developer libraries

  To build the Tcl tools `hfssh' and `hfs', you must use `--with-tcl'.
  To build the X interface `xhfs', you must use `--with-tcl --with-tk'.

  In order to build the Tcl tools you must have Tcl 7.6 already installed
  on your system. To build the X interface, you must have Tk 4.2 installed
  as well. (You may be able to use other versions of Tcl or Tk, but your
  mileage will vary.)

  If `configure' is unable to locate the directories containing your Tcl or
  Tk header or library files, you will have to supply them. For example:

      ./configure --with-tcl=/usr/local/tcl/include  \
                  --with-tcl-libs=/usr/local/tcl/lib

  You can use similar options `--with-tk=DIR' and `--with-tk-libs=DIR'.
  When in doubt, wait and see if `configure' complains.

  By default, the command-line utilities (hmount, hls, hcopy, etc.) are
  always built and installed. If you don't want them, use `--disable-cli'.

  If you want to install the developer libraries (libhfs.a, hfs.h) as well
  as the programs, use `--enable-devlibs'. The libraries are not installed
  by default.

  The `INSTALL' file contains the rest of the details you will need to
  compile and install the software. Please read it!

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Contacting the author

  Please see the `COPYRIGHT' file for copyright and warranty information.

  Send comments, bug reports, suggestions, patches, etc. to:

    * Robert Leslie <rob@mars.org>

  See also the HFS Utilities home page on the Web:

    * http://www.mars.org/home/rob/proj/hfs/

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