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zip file

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zip file

This article is provided by FOLDOC - Free Online Dictionary of Computing (foldoc.org)

ZIP file

(1) A file stored on a Zip cartridge (see Zip disk).

(2) A file that contains one or more files compressed into the ZIP format. Also called a "ZIP archive," "zipped file" or "zipped archive," the ZIP algorithm is the most popular compression method in use.

Only "One" File
Zipping several files can save a little or a lot of space depending on the file type, but more importantly, a single file is monumentally easier to copy between machines and over a network. Zipping files, or archiving files in general, is used constantly to organize files of every variety. See data compression.

Not Just .zip Extensions
Most zipped files use .zip extensions. However, .gz files are also zipped and can be "unzipped" when the .gz is changed to .zip. A .jar file is a Java application with an entire hierarchy of files contained in one zipped file. Microsoft Office formats are very similar (see Office Open XML).

ZIP Came From PKZIP
In the 1980s, Phil Katz developed algorithms for compressing files into smaller amounts of space, and his programs became PKZIP and PKUNZIP from PKWARE, Inc. The format became so popular that the algorithms were placed in the public domain. Sadly, math wizard Phil Katz died at 37, reportedly due to chronic alcoholism. See PK software and WinZip.
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References in periodicals archive
This allows users to create self-extracting Zip files that are smaller and offers the ability to distribute encrypted information.
WhaleMail (www.whalemail.com) does not require you to ZIP files if sending more than one.
Or you can use a free standalone ZIP program such as ZipCentral (http://zipcentral.iscool.net), which lets you create self-extracting ZIP files, avoiding the need for your recipient to have a ZIP tool.
It appears to be a regular mass-mailer, which requires the recipient to open a Zip file and run an executable to become infected.
Included in the package are 130 episodes of "Tech Live," 26 episodes of "Zip File" and the hourlong documentary "Music Wars," about the peerto-peer file-sharing debate.
To create a Zip file, you need a program called WinZip from www.winzip.com Easy to use with excellent help files.
They can be viewed as text files and downloaded quickly as a zip file. The site only comprises works that are old enough to be free of copyright but there are some classics here such as Treasure Island and Oliver Twist.
Another useful feature is the software's ability tO create self-extracting ZIP files. A self-extracting ZIP file can be opened by anyone--whether they have a ZIP utility or not--just by double clicking on it.
"It's free-ware and is in the form of a self-extracting zip file and automatically installs on your system."
which would make a single ZIP file named CHEMPUTE.ZIP on a floppy in A: drive containing all the files on the subdirectory D:\CHEMPUTE.
Lastly, after allowing users to send PDFs, DOCs, Sheets and Slide, WhatsApp will soon have a zip file sharing feature.
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