Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Development
    • Development

    Google Unveils New Zopfli Data Compression Library

    By
    Todd R. Weiss
    -
    March 1, 2013
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Google has just released the new Zopfli Compression Algorithm, an open-source general-purpose data compression library that can make files 3 to 8 percent smaller than those run through the existing zlib library.

      The creation and release of Zopfli, which gets its name from a traditional Swiss braided bread recipe (Zopf), was announced in a Feb. 28 post by Lode Vandevenne, a software engineer on the Google compression team, on the Google Developers Blog.

      Zopfli “is an implementation of the Deflate compression algorithm that creates a smaller output size compared to previous techniques,” wrote Vandevenne. “The smaller compressed size allows for better space utilization, faster data transmission and lower Web page load latencies. Furthermore, the smaller compressed size has additional benefits in mobile use, such as lower data transfer fees and reduced battery use.”

      One drawback with Zopfli, however, is that it is about 100 times slower in compressing data than zlib, wrote Vandevenne. Even with that drawback, it still “compresses around 5 percent better than zlib and better than any other zlib-compatible compressor we have found.”

      Zopfli, which is written in C, has been released under an Apache Software Foundation 2.0 open-source license. It is a compression-only library and is bit-stream-compatible with compression used in gzip, Zip, PNG, HTTP requests and others.
      Because Zopfli uses two to three times more CPU time than zlib at maximum quality, “Zopfli is best-suited for applications where data is compressed once and sent over a network many times, for example, static content for the Web,” Vandevenne wrote. “By open-sourcing Zopfli, thus allowing webmasters to better optimize the size of frequently accessed static content, we hope to make the Internet a bit faster for all of us.”

      Vandevenne has a special interest in compression algorithms, and created Zopfli as part of his “20 percent time” at Google, according to his post. Google encourages its employees to work on personal projects that advance the company’s work and missions using as much as 20 percent of their workweek.

      Google is active in the world of open-source software creation.

      In February, the company announced that it is again hosting its annual Summer of Code program to invite college students to learn about the world of open-source code development. Summer of Code is a program that Google uses to help inspire the next generation of open-source developers.

      This is the ninth year for the program, which since 2005 has involved some 6,000 college and university students from more than 100 countries. The program offers student developers stipends to write code for various open-source projects with the help of mentoring organizations from all around the globe. The program allows the students to pursue academic challenges during their summer breaks while they create and release open-source code for the benefit of all.

      Each year, Google accepts applications from companies and individuals interested in mentoring the students whose applications are accepted by the program. More than 3,000 mentors have been involved in the program so far, according to Google. Students in the program receive a stipend payment of $5,000 from Google, while their mentoring group receives $500.

      By working with their mentors, the students gain exposure to real-world software development scenarios and the opportunity for employment in areas related to their academic pursuits, according to Google. Those students then become a pool of skilled developers from which employers can use to more easily identify and bring in new developers in the future.

      In November 2012, Google launched its third annual international Google Code-In contest, which introduces 13- to 17-year-old pre-university students to open-source software development. Prizes in that event include certificates and T-shirts, and 20 grand-prize winners win an all-expenses-paid trip to Google headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., in the spring. In 2011, 542 students from 56 countries participated.

      Todd R. Weiss
      As a technology journalist covering enterprise IT for more than 15 years, I joined eWEEK.com in September 2014 as the site's senior writer covering all things mobile. I write about smartphones, tablets, laptops, assorted mobile gadgets and services,mobile carriers and much more. I formerly was a staff writer for Computerworld.com from 2000 to 2008 and previously wrote for daily newspapers in eastern Pennsylvania. I'm an avid traveler, motorcyclist, technology lover, cook, reader, tinkerer and mechanic. I drove a yellow taxicab in college and collect toy taxis and taxi business cards from around the world.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×