On Mon, 2005-08-01 at 17:52 +0800, Malcolm J McCallum wrote: > Can someone tell me please what I need to read a .hqx file. :-)
.hqx is usually used to identify a BinHex encoded file. That's an old and inefficient way of encoding binary files into text so that they can be transmitted through stupid programs that convert line-endings of files even when they shouldn't. The most common example is email programs. IIRC it also preserves Mac metadata such as type/creator codes, and preserves resource forks. These days, most mail clients automatically encode attachments in base64/AppleSingle/AppleDouble, so you don't generally need to care about that. You can decode the BinHex file into its original file using stuffit expander, as noted by others here. You'll still need the program to read the original file, though - if it's .sit.hqx then it's a stuffit archive and Stuffit will take care of it. Otherwise, you'll still need to identify what program to use to open the decoded file. -- Craig Ringer
