Choosing the transfer method
The correct transfer method depends on the kind of file and on the receiving computer.
MacBinary is only supported on Macintosh IRC clients, so if the receiver is using
a PC, the Binary transfer method should be used. To send files to someone on another
Mac, the MacBinary format should be used.
MacBinary is a standard for preserving the specifics of Macintosh files when transmitted.
On a PC a file is just a stream of bytes with no additional information. However,
a Mac needs additional information in order to correctly display the file icon
and launch the correct application when a user double clicks the file.
To do this, a Macintosh file is usually in two parts - a data fork which corresponds
to a PC file, and a resource fork which has no PC counterpart. This is entirely
transparent to a user when working on a Mac, but it becomes an issue when moving
files back and forth between different environments.
The MacBinary standard defines how the filetype information, the data fork and
the resource fork is packed together, so if the receiver is on a Macintosh, the
MacBinary format should be used.
If the Binary transfer method is chosen instead it is not possible to correctly
transfer certain types of files like applications, because only the data fork
will be sent. If the files are raw data - like .jpg pictures, the Binary method
is fine because such files typically do not contain a resources.
Choosing the transfer method