Software employing the BinHex format facilitates the encoding of binary data into ASCII text. This process allows for the convenient transmission of files across systems and platforms where binary data may not be directly supported or easily handled. A typical manifestation is an application that converts a Macintosh file, containing both data and resource forks, into a text-based representation.
This encoding method gained prominence during the early era of online file sharing, particularly within the Macintosh community. It addressed the challenges of transferring files via email systems and bulletin board services that were primarily designed for textual content. The benefit was ensuring data integrity and preserving file attributes during transmission, despite limitations in the underlying communication protocols.
