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From: labc-4dc@e260-4e.berkeley.edu (Erik Talvola)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Compression programs (a comparison)...
Keywords: arc zoo zip dwc compression pk
Message-ID: <20498@agate.BERKELEY.EDU>
Date: 17 Feb 89 07:25:55 GMT
Sender: usenet@agate.BERKELEY.EDU
Reply-To: labc-4dc@web.berkeley.edu (Erik Talvola)
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Organization: University of California, Berkeley
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Here is a simple test of various compression programs which I recently 
completed.  I tested all of them on the same group of files - namely, 
PC-Write v3.02 as installed on my hard disk.  This includes a large 
(250K+) binary file, a few fairly large text files, and some various 
junk, including a UU-Encoded file.  Here are the results in two tables - 
one in order of size, one in order of speed.

The Competitors:

PKZIP v0.90 by PKWARE Inc.
PAK v1.6 by NoGate Consulting
PKPAK v3.61 by PKWARE Inc. (no longer available)
DWC Release A5.01 by Dean W. Cooper
ARCA v1.29 by Wayne Chin and Vernon Buerg
ZOO v2.01 by Rahul Dhesi
ARC v5.32 (just for laughs) by System Enhancement Associates
QARC v1.00 (distributed with ARC) by System Enhancement Associates

Results in order of size (original size 582010 bytes):

Rank    Size    Program (and options)                 Time (m:s)

 1:     338989  PKZIP v0.90 (with options -ea4 -eb4)    2:57
 2:     341852  PKZIP v0.90 (with options -ea3 -eb3)    2:28
 3:     348604  PKZIP v0.90 (with options -ea2 -eb2)    2:18
 4:     357929  PAK v1.6                                3:36
 5:     382888  DWC Release A5.01 (option az -- size)   1:30
 6:     383599  PKPAK v3.61                             1:18
 7:     384657  PKZIP v0.90 (no options)                1:11
 8:     387190  QARC v1.00                              1:27
 9:     391440  DWC Release A5.01 (option ay -- speed)  1:11
10:     393409  ZOO v2.01                               2:17
11:     394398  ARCA v1.29                              2:07
12:     399993  ARC v5.32                               7:02

Results in order of time:

        Time    Program (and options)                    Size
      
 1: (t) 1:11    PKZIP v0.90 (no options)                384657 
 1: (t) 1:11    DWC Release A5.01 (option ay -- speed)  391440
 3:     1:18    PKPAK v3.61                             383599
 4:     1:27    QARC v1.00                              387190
 5:     1:30    DWC Release A5.01 (option az -- size)   382888
 6:     2:07    ARCA v1.29                              394398
 7:     2:17    ZOO v2.01                               393409
 8:     2:18    PKZIP v0.90 (-ea2 -eb2)                 348604
 9:     2:28    PKZIP v0.90 (-ea3 -eb3)                 341852
10:     2:57    PKZIP v0.90 (-ea4 -eb4)                 338939
11:     3:36    PAK v1.6                                357929
12:     7:02    ARC v5.32                               399993

So, the winner appears to be PKZIP.  It makes the smallest compressed 
file by far, if you are interested in that, and is the fastest program
in another mode, and the file generated was only 2K bigger than the
next file in the same time category.   PAK is the only program which
can approach the compression of PKZIP in full compression mode, but it
definitely falls short in speed.  Three cheers for PKZIP and let's hope
it survives.







--
Erik Talvola               | "It's just what we need... a colossal negative 
labc-4dc@web.berkeley.edu  | space wedgie of great power coming right at us
c164-2bf@bard.berkeley.edu | at warp speed." -- Star Drek