[vtk-developers] zlib

Michael Halle halazar at media.mit.edu
Wed Nov 1 14:01:11 EST 2000


To clarify:

* To include the option to transparently compress/read data does not mean
  *require* the use of compressed data.

* The issue of including widely useful mechanisms for data
  compression as part of the core capabilities of vtk is separate
  from making it easier to add extensions to vtk.  Both should be done,
  I think.  Reading compressed streams is a core capability, not restricted
  to a single vtk module.

* vtk data files of sparse data can easily zip down by a factor of ten or one
  hundredfold.  Knowing that compression is available for those kinds
  of files as a core property of vtk changes how you think about dealing
  with those files completely, and for the better.

* the use of a standard compression method means that external tools can
  still be used to manipulate the vtk data.  You're not locking anyone in
  to anything.


Michael Halle
mhalle at media.mit.edu


Ps.  The TIFF distribution doesn't ship with LZW anymore because of patent
problems.  zip doesn't have those problems.






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