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What is Compression?
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What is Compression?
One of the most important things to remember
when transferring files over the internet is compression. There are a
couple of reasons, but the most important is to "package" your
files. The following analogy works well in explaining this idea: When
you are sending something through the mail, such as a gift, you usually
send it packaged in a box. You do this so that the item that you are shipping
doesn't get damaged. The same applies with compression, it's nearly the
same idea. Without the "packaging", your files will most likely
get corrupted. The second reason for compression is relative to it's name.
Things are compressed or made smaller in file size. This is quite important
when making file transfers with a dial up account. If you are interested
to learn more about how file compression works, please
visit this link.
Here are some common types of compression on the internet:
•sit - This format is mainly used on Macintosh, but can be used
by PC users as well. Its the proprietary format of Aladdin Systems. Aladdin
offers both a free compression and decompression utility. visit
Aladdin homepage
•zip - This format is the main format for PC users, but is also
used on Macs. Many different software companies offer tools for both compressing
and decompressing this format. visit
winzip homepage
•bin - This the MacBinary format that is used only on Macintosh.
It was developed exclusively for the Macintosh environment in 1985 and
has been through a few transformations since. You can get a .bin compression
utility at the MacBinary
homepage.
•hqx - BinHex, as it's called, is basically a format that encodes
Macintosh files into text files. This provides great compatibility across
older and newer systems. As with MacBinary, this format is as well exclusively
for the Macintosh environment. If you're really bored, here is some info
on binhex.
•tar - tar was created for archiving files on tape, but its useful
for combining multiple files into one, like the package analogy. tar is
used mostly on Unix and Linux systems, but tar is becoming a familiar
format for Mac OS X users. Once files are archived in tar, they are then
compressed into another format. You may see a file named "pdflib_osx.tar.z".
This file is encoded in tar format, then compressed using a unix utility
such as gzip.
In ending, its safe to say that if
you are using a Mac, you can use any of the formats listed above for safe
transfer of files. If you are using a PC, you may want to stick to using
.zip to stay compatible with fellow PCs. If you are uploading to the Midtown
Printing FTP Server, then you can use any format listed above.
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