Avoiding Compression Confusion:
E-mail Large Files And Store Mass Data With Ease
Contributed by Jay Schroyer
If you’ve ever packed a bag for an extended trip or attempted to move all of your stuff from one apartment to another in one trip, then you have a general idea of what it’s like to try and fit a hundred pounds of junk into a one-pound box. Imagine if you could take your stuff, group together duplicate items, and have one box that represented, say, all of your bedroom furniture. This, in so many words, is what compression software does. It can turn your disk space into a bottomless bag. And the best part about these programs is that most of them are available online for free.
Packing
You don’t need a basic computer education to understand how file compression software works. The programs take a look at your files and remove space that will be unneeded during transport and smashes together like items. In a manner of speaking, it is very similar to those nesting Russian dolls that fit inside of one another. When they are all separate, they take up a lot of space, but when stacked inside of one another, they are only as big as the largest doll. Here’s a very small example of what a typical program would do. The phrase “Mississippi is missing” takes up a total of twenty-two characters including spaces. If we counted all of the duplicated letters or letter groups and replaced them with symbols that represent those letters, think of how much space you could save. It would then read “M$$&&$m$ing” which equates to eleven characters. The file size has been cut in half! If this phrase was part of a fifty-page document, just think about how much space could be saved if every “iss” or “ip” was replaced with a dollar sign or ampersand?
Like any secret code worth its salt, there needs to be a decoder ring. Each compressed file has a decoding file attached to it that allows the computer to reassemble and translate the compressed file whenever it is reopened in its native program.
Most of the compression programs offer a wizard, which allows you to simply drag the files you want to compress into an open window and then begin the process. It will ask you where you want to save them and you can even give the compressed file a different name to help you locate them later.
What Should I Pack?
Compressing is great for information that you have to e-mail. A lot of servers or e-mail accounts have restrictions on the size of files that they can accept. The result is that if your attached file is too large, the server may not deliver your mail. Another side effect of sending large files is that it quickly fills the receiver’s mailbox to its capacity and as a result, the receiver won’t receive other e-mail—sent afterwards. That’s why it’s important to take a look at what you have to send. Add up the sizes of the files and see what you come up with. If the individual files add up to over 10 megabytes, I would compress the files together to avoid any delivery problems. Just make sure that the receiver has the means to decompress the files when they arrive.
As far as what files to compress, the answer is any and all. Photos are a good bet as they generally are larger in size. Individual word processor files, presentation slides, movie clips, and basically any file that takes up a fair amount of memory are good candidates for compression.
Another great use for compression software is file backup on your computer. By compressing your files, the need for immense backup solutions becomes less significant. You probably still won’t be able to fit the compressed files on a floppy disk, but now a more affordable jump drive may do the trick.
Where Do I Buy Luggage?
There are many compression programs available for sale, trial, and as free downloads. A popular program for Windows®-based machines is WinZIP®. For Mac® users, there’s StuffIt®, which performs many of the same functions. An online search will also dig up programs that smaller software developers have created. A note of caution should be taken, as these programs are not always as stable and reliable as their big-name counterparts.
Easy to install and easy to use, compression software is the best way for you to share large quantities of information with friends, coworkers, and clients. Give WinZIP—a spin on your computer and I think you’ll find the ease and convenience a breath of fresh air.
Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation registered in the U.S. and other countries.
WinZip is a registered trademark of WinZip International LLC registered in the U.S. and other countries.
Mac is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. registered in the U.S. and other countries.
Stuffit is a registered trademark of Allume Systems, Inc. registered in the U.S. and other countries.
About the Author:
Jay Schroyer has worked in the client and customer service end of business for over five years in retail, advertising, and printing. He holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in English writing and communication.
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