zipped file

[firestarterut]

I was wondering this since I got the file. It was like an 85 meg zipped file but when I unzipped it it was like 800 megs. I know zipping compresses and conserves space BUT THAT MUCH! Does anyone know how he did that?

 

[silverseason]

I don't remember the numbers from the last times I zipped anything, but it sounds possible. How much the file compresses varies a lot with what kind of file it was in the first place. A database does not equal a picture which does not equal a document, some types are emptier than others.

 

[Samerron]

It depends what kind of files are being zipped. To my knowledge, pictures and video will not be compressed much, while text files and documents and installation files does matter. Just check what it is...

 

[sparkchaser]

If it was a plain ASCII text file then compression like that certainly is possible.

We're so used to 5-10% compression from the binary files we routinely zip and email out, it comes as a shock when we see a 90% compression.

 

[firestarterut]

One was an ISO file which was compressed nearly 400 mbs (which I've never seen that before...) and the other was a whole game compressed over a gig. Most of the zipped files I see aren't compressed more than 200 megs. And I would fiind it useful if I could compress files by a lot since I ran out of DVDs and not many things fit on my 700 megs cds.

 

[sparkchaser]

If there is a lot of repetitious character strings then you'll see a higher compression rate.