The term refers to applications that facilitate the encoding and decoding of files using the Binary-to-Hexadecimal (BinHex) format. This encoding scheme was prevalent in the classic Mac OS environment. Such applications transformed binary files into a text-based format, enabling easier transmission via email or other text-based channels, as some systems could not reliably handle raw binary data. A practical example involves converting a Mac application or document into a BinHex file with a “.hqx” extension before sending it to another user via email.
The significance of these utilities stemmed from their ability to ensure data integrity during transfer across different platforms and communication protocols. By converting binary information into a safely transmittable text representation, the possibility of data corruption or misinterpretation was minimized. Historically, this functionality addressed a crucial need in cross-platform file sharing and archiving, especially when direct binary transfer capabilities were limited or unreliable. The format enabled Mac users to share software and data with each other when internet protocols were less standardized.
