Suitcase

A suitcase was a file that stored certain resource fork items in classic Mac OS.

History
Suitcases were first used to store and transfer fonts and desk accessories. Font/DA Mover was a simple utility that was used to install these items into the resource fork of the System file for Macintosh system software versions 1 through 6. It was also possible to accomplish this with ResEdit, but very risky if done by inexperienced users.

System 7
In System 7, the behavior of suitcases was changed. Suitcases could be opened directly within the Finder, rendering the Font/DA Mover obsolete. The System file itself also took on the appearance and behavior of a suitcase, making it more easily modifiable by the user. Along with desk accessories and fonts, it could also accept resources for FKEYs, keyboard layouts, and sounds. TrueType fonts could also be added to the System file, but Adobe Type 1 fonts were not directly supported.

System 7.1 to Mac OS 9
In System 7.1, font management was further refined through the addition of the Fonts folder, which could accept suitcases of bitmap and TrueType fonts, as well as Type 1 font files. This allowed the System file to be slimmed considerably.

Mac OS X
Starting with Mac OS X, which was derived from NeXTSTEP, system resources are stored in a System folder instead of a suitcase file. Additional resources are stored in the Library folder.


 * Desk accessories are no longer supported (outside of the Classic environment).
 * Font suitcases must be installed through Font Book to be recognized by Mac OS X.