Xref: utzoo comp.sources.d:2018 comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d:88 Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!wtr@moss.ATT.COM From: wtr@moss.ATT.COM Newsgroups: comp.sources.d,comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d Subject: Re: Standard for file transmission Keywords: protocol compression source Message-ID: <25868@clyde.ATT.COM> Date: 4 May 88 16:58:07 GMT References: <292@cullsj.UUCP> <55@psuhcx.psu.edu> <537@csccat.UUCP> <296@cullsj.UUCP> Sender: nuucp@clyde.ATT.COM Reply-To: wtr@moss.UUCP (Bill Rankin) Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Whippany NJ Lines: 37 In article <296@cullsj.UUCP> jeff@cullsj.UUCP (Jeffrey C. Fried) writes: > >1) COMPRESS is a text only compression routine. It will not now, or ever, > help in the compression of binary files. > [I'm not sure if this will be construed as a flame, but, asbestos suit in hand, here goes!] WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?!?!?!? I have assumed that everyone has been talking about the program COMPRESS v4.0 that was posted to comp.sources.???? late last year (let's not get too picky about the dates ;-). It was based upon a "modified Lempel-Ziv algorithm" as published in IEEE Computer by Terry A. Welch. PD source was (at least in part) written by Joe Orost. (appologies to anyone unintentionally left out of the credits) With the full sixteen-bit compression, it does a great job of compressing (almost ;-) all files, binary and source. Most compression ratios are in the 50-60% range, occasionally as high as 75%. (larger files seem to compress a little better) I have no idea what program you are referring to when you are describing your 'compress' but it is certainly not the same program that I run on my AT clone at home. ===================================================================== Bill Rankin Bell Labs, Whippany NJ (201) 386-4154 (cornet 232) email address: ...![ ihnp4 ulysses cbosgd allegra ]!moss!wtr ...![ ihnp4 cbosgd akgua watmath ]!clyde!wtr =====================================================================