Re: using gzip ?

["Rupert G. Goldie" <rgg@aaii.oz.au>]

> 
>   I've always wondered but never checked, isnt compress mostly for
> text files, and doesnt really compress binary files as well as could
> be...?
> 
> 
> -- 
> Denis Papp				dpapp@amisk.cs.ualberta.ca

gzip is newer (non patented) technology. gzip -9 takes longer than compress,
but gets much better compression. Text files will usually compress better than
binary files because they will have more common bit strings than binary files.
This should be a common feature across all compression algorithms. (I will
resist the temptation to discuss models, dictionaries, and arithmetic coding...)

Rupert