Since we recently discussed backups/CD writers etc, I thought I
would share some of my observations with compression in regards to
storage:
*** EXAMPLES ***
#1
"january 2001 cytokines" folder: 1014 items, 334.7 MB on disk
and after compression:
january 2001 cytokines.zip : 1 item , 24.2 MB on disk
#2
"burst tests" folder: 1645 items, 593.1 MB on disk
and after compression:
burst tests.zip : 1 item , 227.7 MB on disk
These are the extreme ranges of my results so far, showing a range of
62% to 93% decrease in size.
some of my flowjo workspaces shrunk from 2 megs to 30 kilobytes.
*** PROS ***
1. more cost effective storage
2. more data accessible per volume.. ex one year fitting on one disc
as opposed to three etc...
3. compatibility - once zipped, files can be moved to PC's and stored
that way and the contents of the zip file are still "mac"
4. no buffer underrruns in CD-writing - a bunch of small files is
much more likely to create buffer underrruns during burning process,
esp. at high speeds (12, 16X)
*** CONS ***
1. in event of disk scratch - you loose more data, thus duplicates
are a must
2. depending on the speed of the computer, it takes some time to
"decompress" the files (the above mentioned burst test folder took 5
minutes do compress on a G3-400, it takes less time to decompress)
if anyone else has something to add to the topic on compression feel
free to post it on the group I'd be interested to learn new tricks.
maciej
=====
`---------------------------------------------`
| Maciej S. Simm | 525 E 68th Street |
| Research Technician | Room N-805 |
| Cornell Medical Center | Tel. 212.746.3428 |
`---------------------------------------------`
|www.cd4cd8.com | 917-734-6280 | AIM - XsimmX |
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