Re: Compression recommendation for Windows

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On 2006-08-03, Paul Hemans <pauln.o.s.p.a.m@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I have a large directory structure (1.2GB) multiple sub-directories and
some
fairly large files, the total file count is around 7,000. Can I use a
combination of TAR and GZIP to deal with this? Winzip ver 6 creates a
compressed file of 440MB but I can only access the first 360 files!

we have .tar.gz files 2.5G in size with 75000 files...
tar is industrial strength, but for your task zip should work too.
I think winzip is ignoring some of your files.

I've never been a fan of those GUI archive tools

Before WinRAR I had always used LHA, then ARJ.

WinRAR works great, both GUI & command line.
I gave up on Zip ages ago...


note, however, that rar is not free, nor is it an open format.

tar, gzip, and zip, however, are all open formats, and there is a much
larger selection of compressors and decompressors available.

<fake indent, lazy>

I wonder why that happens sometimes & not always. Weird.

There are FREE decompressors for most (pretty much all)
types of OS (current & ancient eg: Amiga) & the
decompression source & decompressors
are freely available to DL on the www.rarlab.com website
(and assorted P2P networks).

this does not change that it is not technically an open format however.
the existance of a few free tools does not necissarily mean it is an open
format.


If you want to use their compression you pay a license fee I assume.
Not much of anything good and worthwhile is free these days.
They need to eat too :)

If you want to write something Free & Open that is as good or better
than WinRAR then please do. I might even use it if you succeed.


there is a much wider selection of tools for zip, in fact, I have written
code for encoding/decoding zip files as well...


Plenty of people like to re-invent the wheel. Good for learning I suppose.
Very few do better, like WinRAR has done. Those that do compress
better need enormous quantities of ram and a near-supercompter to
compress/decompress large amounts of data, and even then they
only very slightly beat WinRAR & take forever... + their features
usually SUCK.


my main complaint about zip is that it is designed in a way that messes up
the possibility of implementing full read/write access, which required me to
make my own format for cases where this might be necessary (app usage of a
filesystem emulation layer).

if I were to revise the format, I would probably drop a few features which
are unlikely to be all that useful for my uses (fragmentation), and maybe
allow compression of the central directory (however, this would risk
reducing the practical limits of the format in the name of a potentially
minor reduction in total filesize).

it works though...


Had you ever used Stacker 4.1? It did quite well for its time
with a few tweaks to the compression settings, even on OLD &
S L O W computers when on the maximum compression setting.
I still have it here somewhere - no source though, you'd have to
reverse engineer it to learn from it. It crapped all over the M$ toys.


this also gives a sense of security for the future ability to easily
decompress these formats.

or such...

With freely available decompression source it will never die
unless all the lights go out :) And it craps all-over most
other archivers, especially when using "Solid" compression
and the "Best" compression settings.

I have tried Soooooooo,ooooo,ooo many other programs
looking for anything better yet I am still using WinRAR.
(WinRAR can also make ZIP archives & extracts many types)

-Cheers.

winrar is itself, a program, not only that, one where people are expected to
pay for it.


Welcome to the present day :) I am a 'closet hippie' at heart so I do understand.
Nevertheless, if you want the best and it isn't free & open then you just have to
either pay for it or steal it or invent it yourself or con someone else into doing it
or use out-dated fossil software :) We need something new, capable & flexible


the rar format itself, is a format, but it is effectively (at least
currently afaik) tied to the existance of winrar. even if freely available
decompressors exist, freely available compressors need to exist as well, and
the format needs to be maintained as an open standard.


"needs" & Prefers are two different things ;)
I like FREE & Open Source too, yet if I have to pay for something better
then I will if the cost is not too great. Zip is just too lacking in compression,
amongst other things.


zip, tar.gz, and tar.bz2 are imo safer bets for long term usability.
of course, tar is crufty on windows, making zip generally the best bet for
general uses (even if compression is not always all that great with zip...).


"compression is not always all that great with zip" is an understatement.
These days size (& compression ratios) does matter with the vast
amounts of files/data to be compressed & solid archives make
a BIG difference.


nearly anyone can write programs to encode or decode zip archives, and the
specifications are commonly available (even if, albeit, some newer features
make the format crufty, or may risk encroaching on existing patents...).

or such...


Write something new.
If it is better & free, has the right features plus usability
for anyone on any system then persist & it will take off,
as long as it decompresses other common formats too.

- Cheers & Get To Work ;)

Bye.
Jasen

.

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