What is a ZIP file anyway?

ZIP file primer

A zip file is a collection of documents, programs or other files that have been reduced in size and bundled together in a single compressed archive file.

The reason people put multiple files into a single compressed file is to ease distribution, help you save time getting the files from the Internet, and to help you save space on your computer. If you pay for Internet access by the minute, you will save money by downloading compressed files instead of uncompressed files.

Data compression is like whipped cream...?

Yes I know this might sound a little strange, but let me explain :-)

First, compare cream to whipped cream. What's the difference? Cream does not take up as much space as when its whipped. Manufacturers and retailers save money on packaging, shipping and store space by selling cream instead of whipped cream. Sure, you need a tool to whip the cream, but it's really not much trouble compared to what is saved.

The exact same benefits exist for data compression. You get a compressed (zipped) file, and the distributor saves space on his server, you save time and money downloading the file and you also save space when storing the compressed file on your PC. As with whipped cream, you need a tool to finish the job, and in this case the tool is BitZipper. It will not whip your cream, but it will help you decompress your compressed files :-)

How does it work?

When you compress files, the compression program will scan the file to be compressed for repeated pieces of information. Consider this very simple example which could be part of e.g. an image file:

"111010100100100000000000000000000000000000000000000001100101001"

Compressed, the file will contain this information:

"1110101001001(insert 40 zeroes)1100101001"

When decompressing, BitZipper will replace the "(insert 40 zeroes)" token with 40 zeroes, restoring the file to its original form.

What about RAR, ARJ, TAR and CAB files?

There are many different types of compressed files available today. The principle is the same as explained above, but each of the compression formats have its own advantages.

The difference lays in the way the uncompressed file is analyzed for repeated pieces of information. Through time, developers have found more and more clever ways to compress files better. Instead of breaking compatibility with already existing compression formats, they have invented new ones and given the formats names like ZIP, RAR, ARJ, TAR and CAB.

BitZipper can decompress files using 18 different compression formats without requiring any external tools, so it is highly unlikely that you will come across any compressed file that you cannot decompress with BitZipper if you decide to buy it.