[sword-devel] Given today's device capacities, is compression useful?

[Aaron Rainbolt]

On Thu, May 8, 2025 at 10:19 AM DM Smith <dmsmith at crosswire.org> wrote:
>
> If most frontends download the zipped module, perhaps that is sufficient for in transit? Does it zip tiny enough for a module without compression? How does it compare to a module that uses zText or zText4?
>
> Is at rest size really an issue? I think most people would have a module or two.
>
> BTW, I have heard in 3rd world countries cellular is often the only means of accessing the internet and thus downloading files and that connections are not reliably stable.

I'm in the US and cellular is my only means of accessing the Internet,
and at one point that cellular link gave me about 300Kbps max download
speed. Downloads failed often and installing modules via Xiphos was a
pain.

> In Him
> DM
>
> On May 7, 2025, at 9:03 PM, Greg Hellings <greg.hellings at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I think there is still reason for compression in transit and at rest. But I think Karl might be right that we should just look to de-compress the entire file at open to speed subsequent access.
>
> I also think it might be worthwhile to change the tools to defaulting to the 4-byte versions rather than the 2-byte versions. The usability wins there are significant with basically no downside. The saving of 2 bytes in an offset is basically zero.
>
> --Greg
>
> On Tue, May 6, 2025, 4:38 PM Peter von Kaehne <refdoc at gmx.net> wrote:
>>
>> I think Matej is right. Poor connection and small devices remain a reality
>>
>> Also just as telephones get more powerful people develop new small devices. I would think that smart watches and whatever else will eventually attract attention by one developer or another.
>>
>> Sent from Outlook for iOS
>> ________________________________
>> From: sword-devel <sword-devel-bounces at crosswire.org> on behalf of Matěj Cepl <mcepl at cepl.eu>
>> Sent: Tuesday, May 6, 2025 11:07 pm
>> To: SWORD Developers' Collaboration Forum <sword-devel at crosswire.org>
>> Subject: Re: [sword-devel] Given today's device capacities, is compression useful?
>>
>> On Tue May 6, 2025 at 6:45 PM CEST, Karl Kleinpaste wrote:
>> > - Nobody is using PDP-11s any more, and we're not struggling to transfer
>> > data over sloppy, error-prone 56kbps links.
>>
>> Except when we do … how is that Internet working in the rural
>> India? I thought that particularly sword-related applications are
>> meant to work for missionaries in environment hostile not only
>> from the legal point of view.
>>
>> Best,
>>
>> Matěj
>> --
>> http://matej.ceplovi.cz/blog/, @mcepl at en.osm.town
>> GPG Finger: 3C76 A027 CA45 AD70 98B5 BC1D 7920 5802 880B C9D8
>>
>> We are told that [St. Anthony] once fell into dejection, finding
>> uninterrupted contemplation above his strength; but was taught to
>> apply himself at intervals to manual labour by a vision of an
>> angel who appeared platting mats of palm-tree leaves, then rising
>> to pray, and after some time sitting down again to work; and who
>> at length said to him, “Do thus, and thou shalt be saved.”
>> -- Life of St. Anthony
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> sword-devel mailing list: sword-devel at crosswire.org
>> http://crosswire.org/mailman/listinfo/sword-devel
>> Instructions to unsubscribe/change your settings at above page
>
> _______________________________________________
> sword-devel mailing list: sword-devel at crosswire.org
> http://crosswire.org/mailman/listinfo/sword-devel
> Instructions to unsubscribe/change your settings at above page
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> sword-devel mailing list: sword-devel at crosswire.org
> http://crosswire.org/mailman/listinfo/sword-devel
> Instructions to unsubscribe/change your settings at above page