I concluded, we kinotropists must be numbered among Britain's most adept programmers of Enginery of any sort, and virtually all advances on the compression of data have originated as kinotropic applications.

At this point, he interrupted again, asking if I had indeed said "the compression of data," and was I familiar with the term "algorithmic compression"? I assured him I was.

The Difference Engine

William Gibson and Bruce Sterling

Why This Book Is For You

If you want to learn how programs like PKZIP and LHarc work, this book is for you. The compression techniques used in these programs are described in detail, accompanied by working code. After reading this book, even the novice C programmer will be able to write a complete compression/archiving program that can be ported to virtually any operating system or hardware platform.

If you want to include data compression in other programs you write, this book will become an invaluable tool. It contains dozens of working programs with C code that can easily be added to your applications. In-depth discussions of various compression methods will help you make intelligent decisions when creating programs that use data compression.

If you want to learn why lossy compression of graphics is the key factor in enabling the multimedia revolution, you need this book. DCT-based compression like that used by the JPEG algorithm is described in detail. The cutting edge technology of fractal compression is explained in useful terms, instead of the purly theoretical. Working programs let you experiment with these fascinating new technologies.

The Data Compression Book provides you with a comprehensive reference to this important field. No other book available has the detailed description of compression algorithms or working C implementations for those algorithms. If you are planning to work in this field, The Data Compression Book is indispensable.