hpcopy(1)

📦 version 1.0.4, in debian bookworm, debian trixie, ubuntu jammy, ubuntu noble, ubuntu questing, ubuntu resolute, ubuntu stonking

💖 hpcopy — bestie edition 💖

okay so real quick, this is hpcopy(1) from the General Commands Manual section, and it's literally the little tool that goes grabby hands at your HFS+ volume and pulls files out. let's get into it 🫶

✨ NAME ✨

hpcopy — copy files from an HFS+ volume 💅

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

hpcopy [-m  | -b  | -t  | -r  | -a ] source-path ... target-path

🦋 Description 🦋

so hpcopy copies files and directories off an HFS+ volume. easy. but here's the thing bestie — if you're copying multiple files, your target-path has to be a directory, no exceptions, it's giving non-negotiable 😭

now the ✨lore✨: Macintosh files have two forks, and Unix file systems literally cannot represent that. so every copy has to pick a translation mode. choose wisely, queen 👑

  • -m — Mac Binary II. this is a format for binary file transfer, and it keeps both forks of the Macintosh file intact. this is the recommended mode for transferring arbitrary Macintosh files. lowkey the safe pick, no cap 🔥
  • -b — BinHex. also preserves both forks of the Macintosh file. but wait, there's more — the encoded file contains only ASCII characters, which makes it suitable for electronic mail transmission. it's giving ✉️ main character energy.
  • -t — Text. copies only the data fork of the Macintosh file, and the contents of the resource fork are lost 💀. on top of that, this mode translates end-of-line characters. this translation should be used for text files. periodt.
  • -r — Raw Data. copies only the data fork of the Macintosh file, while the contents of the resource fork are lost 💀. just so we're clear on what you're giving up, bestie.
  • -a — Automatic mode. applies a set of predefined heuristics to figure out the appropriate translation for you. this is the default if no mode is specified. she picks for you, and honestly? iconic 👑
🎀 reminder: -t and -r both lose the resource fork, and -t also rewrites your end-of-line characters. do not come crying to me later bestie, i warned you 🫶

🌈 See also 🌈

the whole girl gang, go say hi:

👑 Author 👑

this manual page was written by Jens Schmalzing <jensen@debian.org> for Debian GNU/Linux, using the manual page by Klaus Halfmann <halfmann@libra.de> that comes with the source code, plus documentation from the Tech Info Library. we stan credited work 💖

and that's the whole page bestie!! this one lives in the General Commands Manual (that's the source, section 1, no date on this one so don't @ me) — hpcopy(1), that's a wrap, slay 💅✨🌸

📦 where this page comes from