🚀 go-pugleaf

> 
> > 69929 ModPlayer_V2.5.tar.Z
> > 44327 ModPlayer_V2.5.tar.squfile
> > 38541 ModPlayer_V2.5.tar.z
> 
> > So gzip gives the maximum compression.
> 
> Great, but how about using ".zip" to avoid confusion? :-)
> 

Well, a couple of reasons.  Here is the full story:

69929 ModPlayer_V2.5.tar.Z
53937 ModPlayer_V2.5.zip
53447 ModPlayer_V2.5.lha
50854 ModPlayer_V2.5.tar.lha
44327 ModPlayer_V2.5.tar.squfile
38663 ModPlayer_V2.5.tar.zip
38541 ModPlayer_V2.5.tar.z

As you can see, zip acting on a directory doesn't really do a very good  
job.  On a single file yes (gzip always seems to beat it slightly), but on  
directories no.  In general, lha always does better than zip on  
directories with large numbers of files. (don't get rid of lha just yet)   
Always the *best* compression can be had by tarring everything first, and  
then using either zip or gzip.

So, if you have to choose between file.tar.z and file.tar.zip, I would  
easily choose file.tar.z instead.  Aside from it having two fewer letters,  
gzip is totally gnu, incredibly easy to install, and will undoubtedly  
replace the unix compress/uncompress. (it works exactly the same way,  
though with some added options)  It is a utility that will be on everyones  
system very soon.  I can't say the same of zip.

Michael Glenn