********** ARCHIVE COMPARISON TEST (A.C.T.)  -  DECEMBER 1995 *********
*                       Author:  JEFF GILCHRIST                       *
***********************************************************************
*   A.C.T. may be re-posted or distributed only if the contents are   *
*   not changed under any circumstances and the contents are posted   *
*   in their entirety.                                                *
***********************************************************************

########################### PLEASE READ ###############################
A.C.T. is now on the World Wide Web (WWW)!  It can be accessed at:
                 http://www.mi.net/act/act.html
This is the best way to view A.C.T. since it is in a graphical format
and most authors have a link to their e-mail address.  There are also
links to FTP sites to download most of the archivers.  Finally, there
is a link to my e-mail address to send me any comments or suggestions.
#######################################################################

The following is a test I did on several archivers to compare their
performance against others.

For the following tests with single file types, I used a 486DX4-75 with
8 megabytes of RAM.  No disk CACHE was used at all!  For the timing,
Ultra Precision Command Timer v1.6 by Erik de Neve was used.  The
operating system used was DOS 6.22.  I compressed the tested files from
my hard drive to a 2 megabyte RAM drive.


                    ***  PART 1 - SINGLE FILE TESTS  ***


TEXT File Test     -     Uncompressed Size 768,771 bytes


    ARCHIVER        SWITCHES       CREATION TIME  COMPRESSED SIZE  RATIO
    --------        --------       -------------  ---------------  -----

 B  X1 0.94c ->X    xem4l2          0 m 31.3 sec   219,652 bytes   71.4%
    X1 0.94c ->X    xem4l1          0 m 32.2 sec   219,734 bytes   71.4%
    ACB 1.14a       f               2 m 36.8 sec   227,416 bytes   70.4%
    HA 0.999b       e2              0 m 34.1 sec   235,767 bytes   69.3%
    BSArc 2.0.0     -++             0 m 46.7 sec   244,049 bytes   68.3%
    CODEC 3.21      -c10            0 m 41.5 sec   252,375 bytes   67.2%
 O  HAP 4.0 BETA    3               0 m 13.2 sec   260,103 bytes   66.2%
    HAP 3.14e11     3               0 m 14.1 sec   260,103 bytes   66.2%
 N  QUANTUM 0.96    -c7            17 m 47.9 sec   268,202 bytes   65.1%
    QUANTUM 0.96    -c5             9 m 42.6 sec   271,960 bytes   64.6%
    QUANTUM 0.96    (none)          1 m 37.0 sec   287,179 bytes   62.6%
    HPACK 0.79a0    -df             0 m 48.5 sec   299,072 bytes   61.1%
    X1 0.94c ->X    xe              0 m 49.9 sec   299,900 bytes   61.0%
    ARJZ 0.15       -mp9 -jh        0 m 27.2 sec   301,771 bytes   60.7%
    UC2 v3.0 PRO    (Max Compress)  0 m 35.4 sec   302,022 bytes   60.7%
    ARI 1.12        -n              2 m 20.5 sec   302,200 bytes   60.7%
    LHARK 0.3e      -tob            0 m 30.5 sec   302,820 bytes   60.6%
    ARJZ 0.15       (none)          0 m 18.0 sec   304,182 bytes   60.4%
    YAC 1.02        (none)          0 m 32.1 sec   307,929 bytes   59.9%
    LHARK 0.3e      (none)          0 m 14.2 sec   309,326 bytes   59.8%
    LIMIT 1.2       -mx             0 m 21.2 sec   310,872 bytes   59.6%
    LIMIT 1.2       (none)          0 m 19.6 sec   311,187 bytes   59.5%
    AMGC 2.2        -mm             0 m 50.2 sec   311,279 bytes   59.5%
    UC2 v3.0 PRO    (Default)       0 m 17.4 sec   311,412 bytes   59.5%
    HA 0.999b       e1              0 m 26.4 sec   312,016 bytes   59.4%
    X1 0.93d ->HA   xem1            0 m 32.0 sec   312,016 bytes   59.4%
    SQZ 1.08.3      -q(ALT236)      0 m 26.3 sec   312,330 bytes   59.4%
    INFO-ZIP 2.0    -9 -j           0 m 18.0 sec   312,371 bytes   59.4%
    WINZIP95 6.0    (Max Compress)  0 m 19.6 sec   312,371 bytes   59.4%
    PKZIP 2.04g     -ex             0 m 14.8 sec   312,604 bytes   59.3%
    RAR 1.55        -ep -m5         0 m 29.6 sec   312,726 bytes   59.3%
    GZIP 1.2.4      -9              0 m 23.0 sec   312,915 bytes   59.3%
    GZIP 1.2.4      (none)          0 m 12.9 sec   313,379 bytes   59.2%
    INFO-ZIP 2.0    -j              0 m 14.6 sec   313,466 bytes   59.2%
    CODEC 3.21      (none)          0 m 15.9 sec   313,787 bytes   59.2%
    BSArc 2.0.0     (none)          0 m 19.1 sec   314,138 bytes   59.1%
    AIN 2.2         /m1             0 m 10.4 sec   314,299 bytes   59.1%
    SQZ 1.08.3      (none)          0 m 18.2 sec   315,028 bytes   59.0%
    RAR 1.55        -ep             0 m 16.4 sec   315,851 bytes   58.9%
    PKZIP 2.04g     (none)          0 m 10.2 sec   316,113 bytes   58.9%
    QUARK 1.0beta   (none)          0 m 17.7 sec   317,195 bytes   58.7%
    AIN 2.2         (none)          0 m 08.3 sec   317,659 bytes   58.7%
    WINZIP95 6.0    (Normal Comp)   0 m 10.5 sec   318,344 bytes   58.6%
 N  ARJ 2.50        -jm -e          0 m 16.7 sec   318,939 bytes   58.5%
 N  ARJ 2.50        -e              0 m 15.4 sec   319,172 bytes   58.5%
    ARJ 2.41a       -jm -e          0 m 17.0 sec   318,939 bytes   58.5%
    ARJ 2.41a       -e              0 m 15.7 sec   319,172 bytes   58.5%
    AMGC 2.2        (none)          0 m 16.7 sec   327,646 bytes   57.4%
    NULIB 3.24      c5              0 m 06.0 sec   334,187 bytes   56.5%
    LHA 2.55b       -we:            0 m 17.0 sec   339,110 bytes   55.9%
    AR 0.02         (none)          0 m 30.7 sec   339,118 bytes   55.9%
    SAR 1.0         (none)          0 m 31.8 sec   339,118 bytes   55.9%
    ZOO 2.10        h:              0 m 30.1 sec   339,245 bytes   55.9%
    PUT 3.41        (none)          0 m 21.5 sec   339,642 bytes   55.8%
    HYPER 2.5       (none)          0 m 09.8 sec   345,887 bytes   55.0%
    PAK 2.51        (none)          0 m 10.9 sec   347,608 bytes   54.8%
    DWC 5.10        z               0 m 05.8 sec   362,629 bytes   52.8%
    SQWEZ 2.2       /s              0 m 31.0 sec   365,224 bytes   52.5%
    ARX 1.0         (none)          0 m 10.3 sec   369,545 bytes   51.9%
    DWC 5.10        (none)          0 m 05.6 sec   380,228 bytes   50.5%
    TSCOMP 1.3.21   -sh             0 m 13.1 sec   391,252 bytes   49.1%
    MDCD 1.0        (none)          0 m 05.8 sec   391,703 bytes   49.0%
    ZOO 2.10        :               0 m 13.0 sec   391,750 bytes   49.0%
    JRCHIVE 1.10    -v              0 m 09.6 sec   416,982 bytes   45.8%
    TSCOMP 1.3.21   -sm             0 m 11.3 sec   418,014 bytes   45.6%
 F  ARC 6.02        (none)          0 m 05.3 sec   418,511 bytes   45.6%
    NULIB 3.24      (none)          0 m 07.1 sec   454,304 bytes   40.9%

Winner for best compression   :  X1 0.94c B
Winner for fastest compression:  ARC 6.02 F
Winner for best overall       :  HAP 4.0 BETA O

N Indicates a new version of the software tested since the last posting
  of these tests.


EXE File Test      -     Uncompressed Size 425,488 bytes


    ARCHIVER        SWITCHES       CREATION TIME  COMPRESSED SIZE  RATIO
    --------        --------       -------------  ---------------  -----

 B  QUANTUM 0.96    -c7            10 m 15.4 sec    97,125 bytes   77.2%
    QUANTUM 0.96    -c5             3 m 22.2 sec    97,315 bytes   77.1%
    ACB 1.14a       f               0 m 45.4 sec    97,897 bytes   77.0%
    ARI 1.12        -n              2 m 41.1 sec    98,831 bytes   76.8%
    RAR 1.55        -ep -m5         0 m 13.6 sec   100,295 bytes   76.4%
    X1 0.94c ->X    xe              0 m 16.6 sec   101,410 bytes   76.2%
    YAC 1.02        (none)          0 m 17.2 sec   101,419 bytes   76.2%
    QUANTUM 0.96    (none)          0 m 21.4 sec   101,443 bytes   76.2%
    HA 0.999b       e1              0 m 13.8 sec   101,496 bytes   76.1%
 O  RAR 1.55        -ep             0 m 04.8 sec   101,625 bytes   76.1%
    QUARK 1.0beta   (none)          0 m 18.5 sec   103,213 bytes   75.7%
    UC2 v3.0 PRO    (Max Compress)  0 m 27.2 sec   103,488 bytes   75.7%
    LIMIT 1.2       -mx             0 m 13.0 sec   103,645 bytes   75.6%
    CODEC 3.21      (none)          0 m 05.2 sec   103,710 bytes   75.6%
    AMGC 2.2        -mm             0 m 22.7 sec   103,811 bytes   75.6%
    LHARK 0.3e      -tob            0 m 08.6 sec   103,828 bytes   75.6%
    GZIP 1.2.4      -9              0 m 18.1 sec   103,832 bytes   75.6%
    WINZIP95 6.0    (Max Compress)  0 m 14.5 sec   103,929 bytes   75.6%
    INFO-ZIP 2.0    -9 -j           0 m 15.7 sec   103,929 bytes   75.6%
    LIMIT 1.2       (none)          0 m 04.8 sec   104,147 bytes   75.5%
    PKZIP 2.04g     -ex             0 m 06.7 sec   104,249 bytes   75.5%
    LHARK 0.3e      (none)          0 m 03.5 sec   104,500 bytes   75.4%
    AIN 2.2         /m1             0 m 04.0 sec   104,857 bytes   75.4%
    ARJ 2.41a       -jm -e          0 m 14.6 sec   104,976 bytes   75.3%
 N  ARJ 2.50        -jm -e          0 m 14.5 sec   104,976 bytes   75.3%
    SQZ 1.08.3      -q(ALT236)      0 m 30.0 sec   105,088 bytes   75.3%
    ARJZ 0.15       -mp9            0 m 14.4 sec   105,120 bytes   75.3%
    BSArc 2.0.0     -+1             0 m 17.7 sec   105,024 bytes   75.3%
    GZIP 1.2.4      (none)          0 m 05.5 sec   105,367 bytes   75.2%
    INFO-ZIP 2.0    -j              0 m 04.9 sec   105,454 bytes   75.2%
    UC2 v3.0 PRO    (Default)       0 m 07.4 sec   105,514 bytes   75.2%
    AIN 2.2         (none)          0 m 03.4 sec   105,515 bytes   75.2%
    PKZIP 2.04g     (none)          0 m 04.3 sec   105,547 bytes   75.2%
    UC2 v2.0        (Default)       0 m 06.7 sec   105,570 bytes   75.2%
    ARJ 2.41a       -e              0 m 05.5 sec   105,657 bytes   75.2%
 N  ARJ 2.50        -e              0 m 05.5 sec   105,657 bytes   75.2%
    BSArc 2.0.0     (none)          0 m 05.1 sec   105,732 bytes   75.2%
    PUT 3.41        (none)          0 m 09.3 sec   105,863 bytes   75.1%
    LHA 2.55b       -we:            0 m 07.0 sec   105,949 bytes   75.1%
    AR 0.02         (none)          0 m 13.4 sec   105,957 bytes   75.1%
    SAR 1.0         (none)          0 m 13.9 sec   105,957 bytes   75.1%
    ARJZ 0.15       (none)          0 m 04.7 sec   105,995 bytes   75.1%
    SQZ 1.08.3      (none)          0 m 05.7 sec   106,023 bytes   75.1%
    ZOO 2.10        h:              0 m 13.1 sec   106,084 bytes   75.1%
    CODEC 3.21      -c10            0 m 38.1 sec   106,498 bytes   75.0%
    WINZIP95 6.0    (Normal Comp)   0 m 03.4 sec   106,527 bytes   75.0%
    HPACK 0.79a0    -df             2 m 37.8 sec   107,956 bytes   74.6%
    AMGC 2.2        (none)          0 m 05.8 sec   108,678 bytes   74.5%
    HYPER 2.5       (none)          0 m 04.7 sec   109,587 bytes   74.2%
    SQWEZ 2.2       /s              0 m 17.3 sec   112,393 bytes   73.6%
    X1 0.94c ->X    xem4l1          0 m 33.7 sec   112,857 bytes   73.5%
    X1 0.94c ->X    xem4l2          0 m 34.6 sec   112,869 bytes   73.5%
    HA 0.999b       e2              0 m 39.4 sec   113,013 bytes   73.4%
    HAP 4.0 BETA    3               0 m 11.6 sec   113,738 bytes   73.3%
    HAP 3.14e11     3               0 m 12.4 sec   113,738 bytes   73.3%
    TSCOMP 1.3.21   -sh             0 m 11.6 sec   114,474 bytes   73.1%
    TSCOMP 1.3.21   -sm             0 m 08.7 sec   115,379 bytes   72.9%
    ARX 1.0         (none)          0 m 08.9 sec   118,701 bytes   72.1%
    PAK 2.51        (none)          0 m 07.2 sec   122,829 bytes   71.1%
    DWC 5.10        (none)          0 m 03.3 sec   157,188 bytes   63.1%
    JRCHIVE 1.10    -v              0 m 05.6 sec   157,909 bytes   63.1%
    MDCD 1.0        (none)          0 m 03.7 sec   158,402 bytes   62.8%
    ZOO 2.10        :               0 m 07.5 sec   158,449 bytes   62.8%
    NULIB 3.24      (none)          0 m 04.0 sec   158,955 bytes   62.6%
    DWC 5.10        z               0 m 03.7 sec   159,263 bytes   62.6%
 F  ARC 6.02        (none)          0 m 03.0 sec   161,589 bytes   62.0%
    NULIB 3.24      c5              0 m 03.8 sec   163,706 bytes   61.5%

Winner for best compression   :  QUANTUM 0.96 B
Winner for fastest compression:  ARC 6.02 F
Winner for best overall       :  RAR 1.55 O

N Indicates a new version of the software tested since the last posting
  of these tests.


EXE Pack File Test     -     Uncompressed Size 341,444 bytes

The EXE Pack test compares programs that compress .EXE files and still
allows them to execute.  The .EXE file used in this test is GWS.EXE
found in The Graphic Workshop v7.0e by Alchemy Mindworks Inc.  The
UNCOMP. TIME data shows the amount of time it takes to uncompress
and run the executable file.  This time was calculated using a utility
called BENCH 0.01beta written by Michal Weis (weis@elf.stuba.sk).
The results for ACB, RAR and PKZIP are listed only to show how normal
archivers compression ratios compare with EXE Packers.

                              UNCOMP.
    ARCHIVER     COMP. TIME    TIME   COMPRESSED SIZE  RATIO  OPTIONS
    --------     ----------  -------- ---------------  -----  -------
    ACB 1.13b     46.40 sec    N/A     121,505 bytes   64.4%    N/A
    RAR 1.55      08.60 sec    N/A     125,374 bytes   63.3%    N/A
    PKZIP 2.04g   06.50 sec    N/A     129,222 bytes   62.2%    N/A

 B  WWPACK 3.03   21.51 sec  0.1975 s  125,752 bytes   63.2%   U   P
 O  UCEXE 2.4     05.70 sec  0.1564 s  129,141 bytes   62.2%   U   P
    AINEXE 2.2    03.80 sec  0.3154 s  131,941 bytes   61.4%
 Q  COMPACK 4.5   06.90 sec  0.0802 s  134,012 bytes   60.8%   U
    AVPACK 1.22   05.00 sec  0.1161 s  136,672 bytes   60.0%   U E P
    PKLITE 1.50   03.69 sec  0.1473 s  139,731 bytes   59.1%   U E P
 F  DIET 1.45f    02.74 sec  0.2095 s  142,771 bytes   58.2%   U
    LZEXE 0.91    03.87 sec  0.1271 s  143,432 bytes   58.0%   U   P
    PACKWIN 1.0   09.37 sec  0.1273 s  143,489 bytes   58.0%
    TINYPROG 3.9  16.39 sec  0.1197 s  144,080 bytes   57.8%     E P

Winner for best compression   :  WWPACK 3.03 B
Winner for fastest compression:  DIET 1.45f F
Winner for quickest extraction:  COMPACK 4.5 Q
Winner for best overall       :  UCEXE 2.4 O

N Indicates a new version of the software tested since the last posting
  of these tests.

OPTIONS:  U - The EXE Packer has the ability to uncompress the .EXE
              file back into its original form.
          E - The EXE Packer has the ability to encrypt the .EXE file
          P - The EXE Packer has the ability to add error protection
              data so it can inform the user if the file has been
              changed in any way (ie: infected by a virus)


669 File Test  -  (8 bit, 8 Channel)  Uncompressed Size 1,314,481 bytes


    ARCHIVER        SWITCHES       CREATION TIME  COMPRESSED SIZE  RATIO
    --------        --------       -------------  ---------------  -----

 B  X1 0.94c ->X    xem4l1          1 m 39.9 sec   626,722 bytes   52.3%
    X1 0.94c ->X    xem4l2          1 m 42.5 sec   628,584 bytes   52.2%
    ACB 1.14a       f               5 m 37.2 sec   636,132 bytes   51.6%
    HA 0.999b       e2              2 m 04.4 sec   636,442 bytes   51.6%
    BSArc 2.0.0     -++             2 m 28.9 sec   659,941 bytes   49.8%
    CODEC 3.21      -c10            2 m 23.9 sec   662,663 bytes   49.6%
    UC2 v3.0 PRO    (Max Compress)  2 m 22.6 sec   684,650 bytes   47.9%
    HPACK 0.79a0    -df             2 m 30.8 sec   691,175 bytes   47.4%
 O  HAP 4.0 BETA    3               0 m 33.7 sec   704,531 bytes   46.4%
    HAP 3.14e11     3               0 m 35.4 sec   704,531 bytes   46.4%
 N  QUANTUM 0.96    -c7            71 m 28.0 sec   717,789 bytes   45.4%
    QUANTUM 0.96    -c5            46 m 51.3 sec   719,128 bytes   45.3%
    QUANTUM 0.96    (none)          2 m 20.5 sec   738,987 bytes   43.8%
    ARI 1.12        -n              3 m 44.2 sec   756,636 bytes   42.4%
    X1 0.94c ->X    xe              1 m 06.7 sec   761,763 bytes   42.0%
    RAR 1.55        -ep -m5         0 m 39.6 sec   769,910 bytes   41.4%
    HA 0.999b       e1              0 m 42.9 sec   769,923 bytes   41.4%
    LIMIT 1.2       -mx             0 m 50.1 sec   770,759 bytes   41.4%
    LIMIT 1.2       (none)          0 m 45.4 sec   770,880 bytes   41.4%
    RAR 1.55        -ep             0 m 24.5 sec   771,679 bytes   41.3%
    UC2 v2.0        (Default)       0 m 27.5 sec   773,316 bytes   41.2%
    ARJZ 0.15       -mp9            0 m 35.9 sec   773,318 bytes   41.2%
    UC2 v3.0 PRO    (Default)       0 m 26.9 sec   773,386 bytes   41.2%
    PKZIP 2.04g     -ex             0 m 27.7 sec   774,780 bytes   41.1%
    ARJZ 0.15       (none)          0 m 23.5 sec   775,005 bytes   41.0%
    LHARK 0.3e      -tob            0 m 49.2 sec   775,226 bytes   41.0%
    AIN 2.2         /m1             0 m 20.0 sec   776,613 bytes   40.9%
    SQZ 1.08.3      -q(ALT236)      0 m 38.1 sec   778,244 bytes   40.8%
    GZIP 1.2.4      -9              0 m 33.5 sec   779,706 bytes   40.7%
    AIN 2.2         (none)          0 m 14.8 sec   779,886 bytes   40.7%
 N  ARJ 2.50        -e              0 m 21.1 sec   780,613 bytes   40.6%
 N  ARJ 2.50        -jm -e          0 m 24.9 sec   780,662 bytes   40.6%
    SQZ 1.08.3      (none)          0 m 25.8 sec   780,831 bytes   40.6%
    QUARK 1.0beta   (none)          0 m 26.0 sec   780,863 bytes   40.6%
    LHARK 0.3e      (none)          0 m 22.6 sec   782,482 bytes   40.5%
    PKZIP 2.04g     (none)          0 m 18.4 sec   782,772 bytes   40.5%
    PUT 3.41        (none)          0 m 34.5 sec   784,604 bytes   40.3%
    BSArc 2.0.0     (none)          0 m 33.7 sec   784,959 bytes   40.3%
    INFO-ZIP 2.0    -9 -j           0 m 26.4 sec   785,102 bytes   40.3%
    WINZIP95 6.0    (Max Compress)  0 m 27.4 sec   785,102 bytes   40.3%
    LHA 2.55b       -we:            0 m 26.8 sec   786,069 bytes   40.2%
    AR 0.02         (none)          0 m 49.4 sec   786,077 bytes   40.2%
    SAR 1.0         (none)          0 m 51.5 sec   786,077 bytes   40.2%
    ZOO 2.10        h:              0 m 48.4 sec   786,204 bytes   40.2%
    CODEC 3.21      (none)          0 m 21.9 sec   786,352 bytes   40.2%
    GZIP 1.2.4      (none)          0 m 17.0 sec   786,673 bytes   40.2%
    INFO-ZIP 2.0    -j              0 m 20.6 sec   786,760 bytes   40.1%
    AMGC 2.2        -mm             2 m 26.2 sec   788,463 bytes   40.0%
    WINZIP95 6.0    (Normal Comp)   0 m 17.9 sec   789,647 bytes   39.9%
    YAC 1.02        (none)          0 m 45.3 sec   803,394 bytes   38.9%
    ARX 1.00        (none)          0 m 20.2 sec   815,339 bytes   38.0%
    PAK 2.51        (none)          0 m 17.9 sec   817,011 bytes   37.8%
    SQWEZ 2.2       /s              0 m 49.9 sec   817,479 bytes   37.8%
    HYPER 2.5       (none)          0 m 18.5 sec   821,782 bytes   37.5%
    NULIB 3.24      c5              0 m 10.2 sec   830,101 bytes   36.8%
    AMGC 2.2        (none)          0 m 30.1 sec   833,738 bytes   36.6%
    DWC 5.10        (none)          0 m 10.5 sec   871,519 bytes   33.7%
    DWC 5.10        z               0 m 11.2 sec   871,940 bytes   33.7%
    TSCOMP 1.3.21   -sh             0 m 23.6 sec   877,727 bytes   33.2%
    MDCD 1.0        (none)          0 m 10.6 sec   880,229 bytes   33.0%
    ZOO 2.10        :               0 m 23.9 sec   880,276 bytes   33.0%
    JRCHIVE 1.10    -v              0 m 16.4 sec   899,525 bytes   31.6%
    TSCOMP 1.3.21   -sm             0 m 19.7 sec   903,178 bytes   31.3%
    NULIB 3.24      (none)          0 m 11.7 sec   937,188 bytes   28.7%
 F  ARC 6.02        (none)          0 m 09.9 sec  1,067,359 bytes  18.8%

Winner for best compression   :  X1 0.94c B
Winner for fastest compression:  ARC 6.02 F
Winner for best overall       :  HAP 4.0 BETA O

N Indicates a new version of the software tested since the last posting
  of these tests.


BMP File Test  -  (24bit, 620x300x16M)  Uncompressed Size 558,054 bytes


    ARCHIVER        SWITCHES       CREATION TIME  COMPRESSED SIZE  RATIO
    --------        --------       -------------  ---------------  -----

 BO HAP 4.0 BETA    3               0 m 12.6 sec   203,223 bytes   63.6%
    UC2 v3.0 PRO    (Max Compress)  1 m 00.2 sec   209,560 bytes   62.4%
    X1 0.94c ->X    xem4l2          0 m 50.8 sec   215,033 bytes   61.5%
    X1 0.94c ->X    xem4l1          0 m 50.7 sec   216,030 bytes   61.3%
    ACB 1.14a       f               1 m 25.8 sec   223,341 bytes   60.0%
    HA 0.999b       e2              1 m 01.4 sec   228,372 bytes   59.1%
    CODEC 3.21      -c10            1 m 14.0 sec   238,875 bytes   57.2%
    QUANTUM 0.96    -c7            26 m 08.2 sec   248,992 bytes   55.4%
    QUANTUM 0.96    -c5             6 m 15.4 sec   249,954 bytes   55.2%
    QUANTUM 0.96    (none)          0 m 33.8 sec   257,768 bytes   53.8%
    HPACK 0.79a0    -df             1 m 29.9 sec   258,766 bytes   53.6%
    ARI 1.12        -n              0 m 09.3 sec   259,047 bytes   53.6%
    RAR 1.55        -ep -m5         0 m 11.6 sec   259,657 bytes   53.5%
    RAR 1.55        -ep             0 m 07.0 sec   261,549 bytes   53.1%
    UC2 v3.0 PRO    (Default)       0 m 09.9 sec   261,852 bytes   53.1%
    YAC 1.02        (none)          0 m 20.9 sec   262,339 bytes   53.0%
    HAP 3.14e11     3               0 m 15.5 sec   262,589 bytes   52.9%
    AMGC 2.2        -mm             0 m 22.5 sec   264,513 bytes   52.6%
    QUARK 1.0beta   (none)          0 m 16.8 sec   265,504 bytes   52.4%
    SQZ 1.08.3      -q(ALT236)      0 m 18.7 sec   266,007 bytes   52.3%
    AIN 2.2         /m1             0 m 06.5 sec   267,891 bytes   52.0%
    SQZ 1.08.3      (none)          0 m 08.1 sec   267,935 bytes   52.0%
    ARJZ 0.15       -mp9            0 m 10.9 sec   268,173 bytes   51.9%
    AMGC 2.2        (none)          0 m 09.0 sec   269,254 bytes   51.8%
    AIN 2.2         (none)          0 m 05.2 sec   269,691 bytes   51.7%
    X1 0.94c ->X    xe              0 m 19.3 sec   269,960 bytes   51.6%
    PKZIP 2.04g     -ex             0 m 10.0 sec   270,073 bytes   51.6%
    ARJZ 0.15       (none)          0 m 06.7 sec   270,404 bytes   51.5%
    PKZIP 2.04g     (none)          0 m 06.4 sec   271,355 bytes   51.4%
 N  ARJ 2.50        -jm -e          0 m 11.2 sec   273,371 bytes   51.0%
    ARJ 2.41a       -jm -e          0 m 10.8 sec   273,371 bytes   51.0%
    CODEC 3.21      (none)          0 m 07.1 sec   274,263 bytes   50.9%
 N  ARJ 2.50        -e              0 m 07.1 sec   274,510 bytes   50.8%
    ARJ 2.41a       -e              0 m 06.7 sec   274,510 bytes   50.8%
    LIMIT 1.2       -mx             0 m 15.4 sec   276,374 bytes   50.5%
    HA 0.999b       e1              0 m 15.7 sec   276,919 bytes   50.4%
    LIMIT 1.2       (none)          0 m 10.6 sec   277,646 bytes   50.2%
    WINZIP95 6.0    (Max Compress)  0 m 11.2 sec   278,139 bytes   50.2%
    GZIP 1.2.4      -9              0 m 13.7 sec   278,511 bytes   50.1%
    INFO-ZIP 2.0    -9 -j           0 m 11.7 sec   278,139 bytes   50.2%
    LHARK 0.3e      -tob            0 m 13.5 sec   279,644 bytes   49.9%
    BSArc 2.0.0     -+1             0 m 11.6 sec   279,926 bytes   49.8%
    GZIP 1.2.4      (none)          0 m 07.6 sec   280,125 bytes   49.8%
    INFO-ZIP 2.0    -j              0 m 07.2 sec   280,212 bytes   49.8%
    WINZIP95 6.0    (Normal Comp)   0 m 05.1 sec   281,407 bytes   49.6%
    BSArc 2.0.0     (none)          0 m 07.4 sec   281,906 bytes   49.5%
    LHARK 0.3e      (none)          0 m 06.4 sec   283,718 bytes   49.2%
    LHA 2.55b       -we:            0 m 11.2 sec   284,728 bytes   49.0%
    AR 0.02         (none)          0 m 19.6 sec   284,736 bytes   49.0%
    SAR 1.0         (none)          0 m 20.8 sec   284,736 bytes   49.0%
    ZOO 2.10        h:              0 m 19.4 sec   284,863 bytes   49.0%
    PUT 3.41        (none)          0 m 14.3 sec   285,321 bytes   48.9%
    SQWEZ 2.2       /s              0 m 19.1 sec   294,491 bytes   48.9%
    PAK 2.51        (none)          0 m 07.4 sec   299,270 bytes   46.4%
    HYPER 2.5       (none)          0 m 07.9 sec   299,652 bytes   46.3%
    ARX 1.00        (none)          0 m 12.5 sec   305,944 bytes   45.2%
    TSCOMP 1.3.21   -sh             0 m 09.7 sec   309,999 bytes   44.4%
    NULIB 3.24      c5              0 m 05.7 sec   311,291 bytes   44.2%
    TSCOMP 1.3.21   -sm             0 m 08.1 sec   320,196 bytes   42.6%
    DWC 5.10        z               0 m 05.1 sec   332,533 bytes   40.4%
    DWC 5.10        (none)          0 m 04.9 sec   345,441 bytes   38.1%
    MDCD 1.0        (none)          0 m 04.8 sec   352,285 bytes   36.9%
    ZOO 2.10        :               0 m 10.2 sec   352,332 bytes   36.9%
    JRCHIVE 1.10    -v              0 m 07.5 sec   371,531 bytes   33.4%
 F  ARC 6.02        (none)          0 m 04.4 sec   374,737 bytes   32.8%
    NULIB 3.24      (none)          0 m 05.5 sec   388,521 bytes   30.4%

Winner for best compression   :  HAP 4.0 BETA B
Winner for fastest compression:  ARC 6.02 F
Winner for best overall       :  HAP 4.0 BETA O

N Indicates a new version of the software tested since the last posting
  of these tests.


                  ***  PART 2 - MULTIPLE FILE TESTS  ***


I compressed a directory containing 21 files totalling 3,255,838 bytes
on my hard drive to a 2 megabyte RAM drive.  This directory contained
the original files from the Calgary Corpus archive (CALGARYCORPUS.ZIP)
which contains text, binary and graphical files.  I used a 486DX4-75
with 8 megabytes of RAM to do this test.  No disk CACHE was used at
all!  For the timing, Ultra Precision Command Timer v1.6 by Erik
de Neve was used.  The operating system used was DOS 6.22.

Here are my results:

    ARCHIVER      SWITCHES   EXTRACT TIME  COMPRESS TIME  COMPRESSED SIZE
    --------      --------   ------------  -------------  ---------------

 B  ACB 1.14a     f          9 m 50.6 sec   9 m 41.4 sec    831,676 bytes
    X1 0.94c ->X  xem4l2     2 m 40.0 sec   2 m 40.4 sec    836,845 bytes
    X1 0.94c ->X  xeum4l2    3 m 24.4 sec   2 m 52.6 sec    877,776 bytes
    HA 0.999b     e12        2 m 39.8 sec   4 m 29.0 sec    883,651 bytes
    CODEC 3.21    -c10       3 m 22.8 sec   3 m 07.9 sec    920,927 bytes
 N  QUANTUM 0.96  -c7        1 m 11.5 sec  79 m 56.3 sec    925,670 bytes
    QUANTUM 0.96  -c5        1 m 00.0 sec  34 m 29.5 sec    934,429 bytes
 O  HAP 4.0 BETA  3              N/A        0 m 57.6 sec    969,576 bytes
    HAP 3.14e11   3          1 m 17.5 sec   1 m 02.5 sec    969,576 bytes
    QUANTUM 0.96  (none)     1 m 01.5 sec   4 m 55.7 sec    981,470 bytes
    UC2 v3.0 PRO  o25 (Max)  0 m 16.0 sec  94 m 51.3 sec  1,022,160 bytes
    HPACK 0.79a0  -df        0 m 35.3 sec  11 m 38.4 sec  1,023,107 bytes
    ARI 1.12      -n         0 m 16.3 sec   9 m 23.7 sec  1,024,569 bytes
    YAC 1.02      (none)     0 m 36.0 sec   1 m 47.6 sec  1,025,172 bytes
    UC2 v3.0 PRO  (Max Comp) 0 m 16.0 sec   2 m 02.7 sec  1,026,612 bytes
    CRUSH 1.8+UC2 -n -u      0 m 27.9 sec   2 m 13.5 sec  1,032,742 bytes
    LHARK 0.3e    -tob       0 m 15.8 sec   1 m 25.5 sec  1,035,887 bytes
 Q  ARJZ 0.15     -mp9       0 m 11.3 sec   1 m 23.7 sec  1,038,458 bytes
    RAR 1.55      -ep -m5 -s 0 m 14.4 sec   1 m 50.5 sec  1,046,073 bytes
    ARJZ 0.15     (none)     0 m 11.4 sec   0 m 52.3 sec  1,047,169 bytes
    RAR 1.55      -ep -m5    0 m 13.6 sec   1 m 38.1 sec  1,050,648 bytes
    UC2 v3.0 PRO  (Default)  0 m 16.1 sec   0 m 51.6 sec  1,053,814 bytes
    LIMIT 1.2     -mx        0 m 13.6 sec   1 m 07.3 sec  1,054,168 bytes
    LHARK 0.3e    (none)     0 m 14.5 sec   0 m 40.2 sec  1,054,477 bytes
    HA 0.999b     e          0 m 35.1 sec   1 m 31.8 sec  1,054,534 bytes
    LIMIT 1.2     (none)     0 m 13.6 sec   0 m 56.4 sec  1,056,022 bytes
    CRUSH 1.8+HA  -n -h      0 m 49.5 sec   1 m 50.7 sec  1,057,050 bytes
    GZIP 1.2.4+TAR -9        0 m 38.6 sec   1 m 51.6 sec  1,060,958 bytes
    SQZ 1.08.3    -q(ALT236) 0 m 16.1 sec   1 m 48.2 sec  1,062,520 bytes
    WINZIP95 6.0  (Max Comp) 0 m 12.1 sec   1 m 09.2 sec  1,063,057 bytes
    INFO-ZIP 2.0  -9 -j      0 m 15.8 sec   1 m 05.3 sec  1,063,059 bytes
    AMGC 2.2      -mm        0 m 18.0 sec   2 m 21.4 sec  1,063,358 bytes
    CRUSH 1.8+ZIP -n         0 m 24.8 sec   1 m 18.6 sec  1,063,540 bytes
    TAR 3.20+GZIP cvf.9      0 m 41.0 sec   1 m 29.0 sec  1,063,558 bytes
    RAR 1.55      -ep        0 m 14.4 sec   0 m 48.6 sec  1,064,522 bytes
    CODEC 3.21    (none)     0 m 24.0 sec   0 m 49.4 sec  1,065,126 bytes
    PKZIP 2.04g   -ex        0 m 13.9 sec   0 m 52.4 sec  1,065,291 bytes
    BSArc 2.0.0   -+1        0 m 15.4 sec   1 m 18.5 sec  1,065,316 bytes
    AIN 2.2       /m1        0 m 12.6 sec   0 m 39.7 sec  1,066,922 bytes
    QUARK 1.0beta (none)     0 m 22.7 sec   1 m 42.8 sec  1,069,991 bytes
    INFO-ZIP 2.0  -j         0 m 15.9 sec   0 m 45.1 sec  1,070,443 bytes
    BSArc 2.0.0   (none)     0 m 16.6 sec   0 m 54.9 sec  1,071,007 bytes
    SQZ 1.08.3    (none)     0 m 16.1 sec   0 m 56.7 sec  1,073,012 bytes
    AIN 2.2       (none)     0 m 12.6 sec   0 m 29.3 sec  1,075,730 bytes
    PKZIP 2.04g   (none)     0 m 12.0 sec   0 m 33.0 sec  1,077,029 bytes
    CRUSH 1.8+ARJ -n -j      0 m 25.9 sec   1 m 28.5 sec  1,080,203 bytes
 N  SARJ 1.20     (none)     0 m 23.9 sec   1 m 31.0 sec  1,080,678 bytes
 N  ARJ 2.50      -jm -e     0 m 14.9 sec   1 m 07.3 sec  1,081,242 bytes
    ARJ 2.41a     -jm -e     0 m 13.7 sec   1 m 07.8 sec  1,081,242 bytes
    WINZIP95 6.0  (Normal)   0 m 12.9 sec   0 m 37.9 sec  1,082,623 bytes
 N  ARJ 2.50      -e         0 m 15.6 sec   0 m 51.3 sec  1,083,663 bytes
    ARJ 2.41a     -e         0 m 13.5 sec   0 m 51.7 sec  1,083,663 bytes
    AMGC 2.2      (none)     0 m 13.4 sec   0 m 47.6 sec  1,114,898 bytes
    LHA 2.55b     -we:       0 m 14.1 sec   1 m 03.0 sec  1,142,342 bytes
    SAR 1.0       (none)     0 m 29.2 sec   2 m 13.0 sec  1,142,363 bytes
    ZOO 2.10      h:         0 m 18.1 sec   1 m 54.8 sec  1,143,300 bytes
    PUT 3.41      (none)     0 m 18.3 sec   1 m 20.1 sec  1,144,112 bytes
    PAK 2.51      (none)     0 m 16.3 sec   0 m 38.4 sec  1,191,665 bytes
    HYPER 2.5     (none)     0 m 25.2 sec   0 m 36.4 sec  1,192,686 bytes
    SQWEZ 2.2     /s         0 m 23.3 sec   1 m 51.8 sec  1,236,777 bytes
    ARX 1.00      (none)     0 m 20.7 sec   0 m 57.4 sec  1,251,447 bytes
    TSCOMP 1.3.21 -sh        0 m 18.1 sec   0 m 58.5 sec  1,300,547 bytes
    TSCOMP 1.3.21 -sm        0 m 18.7 sec   0 m 47.5 sec  1,396,823 bytes
    DWC 5.10      z          0 m 12.2 sec   0 m 20.8 sec  1,399,119 bytes
    DWC 5.10      (none)     0 m 12.0 sec   0 m 21.5 sec  1,457,422 bytes
    ZOO 2.10      :          0 m 28.2 sec   0 m 52.0 sec  1,494,933 bytes
    MDCD 1.0      (none)     0 m 22.2 sec   0 m 22.7 sec  1,495,906 bytes
    JRCHIVE 1.10  -c -v      1 m 28.8 sec   1 m 22.9 sec  1,577,652 bytes
    JRCHIVE 1.10  -v         0 m 56.7 sec   0 m 59.1 sec  1,578,924 bytes
 F  ARC 6.02      (none)     0 m 15.3 sec   0 m 19.5 sec  1,590,185 bytes
    AR 0.02       (none)     ** DOES NOT ACCEPT WILDCARDS **

Winner for best compression   :  ACB 1.14a B
Winner for fastest compression:  ARC 6.02 F
Winner for quickest extraction:  ARJZ 0.15 Q
Winner for best overall       :  HAP 4.0 BETA O

N Indicates a new version of the software tested since the last posting
  of these tests.

* Please note that the switches listed above apply only during
  compression and not during extraction.


In the second multiple-file test, I took 130 small TEXT files totalling
1,121,394 bytes and compressed them using the same method as before.


    ARCHIVER        SWITCHES       CREATION TIME  COMPRESSED SIZE  RATIO
    --------        --------       -------------  ---------------  -----

 B  ACB 1.14a       f               2 m 02.6 sec   198,095 bytes   82.3%
 N  QUANTUM 0.96    -c7            26 m 01.7 sec   224,620 bytes   80.0%
    QUANTUM 0.96    -c5            10 m 58.4 sec   225,912 bytes   79.9%
    QUANTUM 0.96    (none)          1 m 30.2 sec   236,638 bytes   78.9%
    X1 0.94c ->X    xeum4l2         0 m 49.9 sec   243,428 bytes   78.3%
    YAC 1.02        (none)          0 m 37.3 sec   250,665 bytes   77.6%
    UC2 v3.0 PRO    o25 (Max Comp) 86 m 44.6 sec   254,368 bytes   77.3%
    RAR 1.55        -ep -m5 -s      0 m 30.6 sec   255,212 bytes   77.2%
    CRUSH 1.8+UC2   -n -u           0 m 42.7 sec   255,452 bytes   77.2%
    UC2 v3.0 PRO    (Max Compress)  0 m 50.8 sec   255,704 bytes   77.2%
 O  AIN 2.2         /m1             0 m 13.5 sec   257,550 bytes   77.0%
    AIN 2.2         (none)          0 m 12.3 sec   259,127 bytes   76.9%
    UC2 v3.0 PRO    (Default)       0 m 21.1 sec   261,820 bytes   76.7%
    CRUSH 1.8+HA    -n -h           0 m 30.0 sec   267,491 bytes   76.1%
    CRUSH 1.8+ZIP   -n              0 m 20.0 sec   271,807 bytes   75.8%
 N  SARJ 1.20       (none)          0 m 47.9 sec   274,685 bytes   75.5%
    HPACK 0.79a0    -df -u          1 m 04.3 sec   277,775 bytes   75.2%
    CRUSH 1.8+ARJ   -n -j           0 m 25.8 sec   285,597 bytes   74.5%
    GZIP 1.2.4+TAR  -9              0 m 33.4 sec   288,465 bytes   74.3%
    TAR 3.20 + GZIP cvf.9           0 m 37.0 sec   289,556 bytes   74.2%
    CODEC 3.21      -c10            1 m 21.3 sec   307,360 bytes   72.6%
    X1 0.94c ->X    xem4l2          1 m 36.8 sec   308,891 bytes   72.5%
    BSArc 2.0.0     -++             1 m 03.6 sec   309,872 bytes   72.4%
    HA 0.999b       e2              2 m 46.9 sec   310,135 bytes   69.8%
    HAP 4.0 BETA    3               0 m 23.6 sec   324,165 bytes   71.1%
    HAP 3.14e11     3               0 m 24.2 sec   324,165 bytes   71.1%
    HA 0.999b       e1              0 m 53.9 sec   339,170 bytes   69.8%
    HPACK 0.79a0    -df             0 m 42.0 sec   340,280 bytes   69.7%
    ARI 1.12        -n              6 m 13.0 sec   341,905 bytes   69.5%
    LIMIT 1.2       -mx             0 m 19.3 sec   343,962 bytes   69.3%
    LIMIT 1.2       (none)          0 m 15.2 sec   344,415 bytes   69.3%
    SQZ 1.08.3      -q(ALT236)      0 m 34.8 sec   345,713 bytes   69.2%
    QUARK 1.0beta   (none)          0 m 26.9 sec   346,032 bytes   69.1%
    LHARK 0.3e      -tob            0 m 12.8 sec   346,140 bytes   69.1%
    BSArc 2.0.0     (none)          0 m 15.4 sec   346,563 bytes   69.1%
    SQZ 1.08.3      (none)          0 m 18.4 sec   347,404 bytes   69.0%
    LHARK 0.3e      (none)          0 m 10.9 sec   347,474 bytes   69.0%
    CODEC 3.21      (none)          0 m 17.7 sec   349,943 bytes   68.8%
 N  ARJ 2.50        -jm -e          0 m 27.1 sec   351,140 bytes   68.7%
    ARJZ 0.15       -mp9 -jh        0 m 21.9 sec   351,268 bytes   68.7%
 N  ARJ 2.50        -e              0 m 22.3 sec   351,607 bytes   68.6%
    RAR 1.55        -ep -m5         0 m 18.1 sec   352,698 bytes   68.5%
    ARJZ 0.15       (none)          0 m 15.9 sec   353,468 bytes   68.5%
    PKZIP 2.04g     -ex             0 m 12.8 sec   353,978 bytes   68.4%
    INFO-ZIP 2.0    -9 -j           0 m 25.0 sec   354,111 bytes   68.4%
    WINZIP95 6.0    (Max Compress)  0 m 23.6 sec   354,366 bytes   68.4%
    LHA 2.55b       -we:            0 m 22.9 sec   355,538 bytes   68.3%
    SAR 1.0         (none)          0 m 49.9 sec   355,538 bytes   68.3%
    PUT 3.41        (none)          0 m 31.1 sec   355,668 bytes   68.3%
    INFO-ZIP 2.0    -j              0 m 18.2 sec   356,613 bytes   68.2%
    PKZIP 2.04g     (none)          0 m 11.5 sec   357,484 bytes   68.1%
    AMGC 2.2        -mm             0 m 16.5 sec   359,127 bytes   68.0%
    WINZIP95 6.0    (Normal Comp)   0 m 16.0 sec   359,766 bytes   67.9%
    ZOO 2.10        h:              0 m 36.4 sec   360,133 bytes   67.9%
    HYPER 2.5       (none)          0 m 17.8 sec   375,928 bytes   66.5%
    ARX 1.0         (none)          0 m 28.7 sec   385,634 bytes   65.6%
    SQWEZ 2.2       /s              0 m 43.9 sec   389,746 bytes   65.2%
    PAK 2.51        (none)          0 m 18.2 sec   395,061 bytes   64.8%
    TSCOMP 1.3.21   -sh             0 m 20.7 sec   402,277 bytes   64.1%
    TSCOMP 1.3.21   -sm             0 m 19.2 sec   435,359 bytes   61.2%
    DWC 5.10        z               0 m 14.1 sec   486,424 bytes   56.6%
    DWC 5.10        (none)          0 m 17.0 sec   488,757 bytes   56.4%
    ZOO 2.10        :               0 m 20.4 sec   497,189 bytes   55.7%
    JRCHIVE 1.10    -c -v           0 m 40.3 sec   503,041 bytes   55.1%
    MDCD 1.0        (none)          0 m 13.0 sec   504,056 bytes   55.1%
    JRCHIVE 1.10    -v              0 m 57.0 sec   505,098 bytes   55.0%
 F  ARC 6.02        (none)          0 m 10.9 sec   508,530 bytes   54.7%

Winner for best compression   :  ACB 1.14a B
Winner for fastest compression:  ARC 6.02 F
Winner for best overall       :  AIN 2.2 O

N Indicates a new version of the software tested since the last posting
  of these tests.


### LOCATING ARCHIVERS FOR DOWNLOAD ###

         The easiest way to download the archivers listed in A.C.T. is
to use the WWW version of A.C.T.  If you cannot access the WWW then most
of the archivers can be found on the following four FTP sites.  Try them
in this order:

ftp.elf.stuba.sk  /pub/pc/pack     (6 Anonymous Users 13:00-06:00 GMT)
ftp.kiae.su       /msdos/arcers    (20 Anonymous Users Allowed)
ftp.coast.net     /SimTel/msdos/archiver  (400 Anonymous Users Allowed)
garbo.uwasa.fi    /pc/arcers       (100 Anonymous Users Allowed)

------------------------------------------------------------------------

         As you may or may not have noticed, I have been releasing these
test results about once a month.  I have decided to release the results
on the first day of each month and name these tests A.C.T.

* Please note that the best overall selection is based entirely on the
archiver's compression/speed ratio.  It is NOT based on the reliability,
price, technical support or the options available in the archiver.

        I have decided to add an Options List which shows what archivers
support certain major options.  If you think I should add another
category to the list or you see an error, please let me know.  If there
is an error, please tell me what switch will activate the command that
I missed.

---------------------------- OPTIONS LIST ------------------------------

             MULTI                                                MANAGE
             DISK   AUTH.           'SOLID'         DATA          OTHER
ARCHIVER     SPAN   VERI.  ENCRYPT  ARCHIVES  SFX  PROTECT.  GUI  ARCERS
--------     -----  -----  -------  --------  ---  --------  ---  ------
ACB 1.14a      X            X-???                      X
AIN 2.2        X            X-???
AMGC 2.2       X            X-???
AR 0.02
ARC 6.02                    X-???
ARI 1.12       X            X-???              X       X
ARJ 2.50       X      X     X-XOR              X                     X
ARX 1.00
BSARC 2.0.0    X                               X
CODEC 3.21                  X-???              X
CRUSH 1.8                               X                            X
DWC 5.10                    X-???              X
GZIP 1.2.4
HA 0.999b
HAP 3.14e11                                            X
HPACK 0.79a0   X      X     X-PGP       X              X
HYPER 2.5
INFO-ZIP 2.0   *            X-???              X
JRCHIVE 1.10                            X      X
LHA 2.55b                                      X
LHARK 0.3e                  X-???              X
LIMIT 1.2
MDCD 1.0
NULIB 3.24
PAK 2.51              X     X-???              X              X      X
PKZIP 2.04g    X      X     X-???              X
PUT 3.41                                                      X
QUANTUM 0.96   X
QUARK 1.0beta  X            X-???              X
RAR 1.55       X      X     X-???       X      X              X      X
SAR 1.0
SARJ 1.20      X      X     X-XOR       X      X                     X
SQWEZ 2.2                                      X              X
SQZ 1.08.3                                     X
TAR 3.20+                               X
TSCOMP 1.3.21
UC2 3.0 PRO    *      X     X-3DES      %      X       X      X      X
WINZIP95 6.0   X                                              X      X
X1 0.94c                                X              X             X
YAC 1.02       X                        X
ZOO 2.10

------------------------------------------------------------------------

MULTI-DISK SPAN = Ability to span an archive over two or more disks
AUTH. VERI.  =  Authentication Verification (Security Envelope)
DATA PROTECT.  =  Data Protection Encoding (Stores Error Recovery Info)
ENCRYPT  =  Ability to encrypt files in archive with password (Garble)
SFX  =  Ability to create Self-Extracting Archives (.EXE)
GUI = Graphical or Text Shell to manage archiver functions and select
      files for compression/decompression
MANAGE OTHER ARCERS = Ability to manipulate, use and convert archives in
                      formats other than its own

* - UC2 comes with a utility (SAS.EXE) to SPLIT archives into chunks
    and then rebuild them after.  This is not nearly as nice as
    multi-disk spanning.
  - INFO-ZIP comes with a utility called ZIPSPLIT which does the same
    thing as UC2's SAS utility.

% - UC2 uses shared dictionaries between file collections to utilize
    similarities between files.


-------------------------------- INDEX ----------------------------------

ARCHIVER  RELEASE  AUTHOR & (INTERNET E-MAIL)
--------  -------  ------------------------------------------------------
           TYPE        PLATFORMS SUPPORTED                FREE UNCOMPRESS
           ----------  ---------------------------------  ---------------

ACB       Sep '95  George Buyanovsky  (george@acb.alma-ata.su)
v1.14a     Freeware    DOS                                Yes

AIN       Jul '94  Transas Marine (UK) Ltd.  (100125.3526@compuserve.com)
v2.2       Shareware   DOS                                No

AINEXE    Jul '94  Transas Marine (UK) Ltd.  (100125.3526@compuserve.com)
v2.2       Shareware   DOS                                N/A

AMGC      Nov '93  Milen Georgiev
v2.2       Shareware   DOS                                No

AR        Oct '90  Haruhiko Okumura  (74050.1022@compuserve.com)
v0.02      Freeware    DOS                                Yes

ARC       Jan '89  S.E.A. Inc.
v6.02      Shareware   DOS                                No

ARI       Jan '93  RAO Inc.
v1.12      Shareware   DOS                                No

ARJ       Oct '95  Robert Jung  (robjung@world.std.com)
v2.50      Shareware   DOS,Windows,Amiga,MAC,OS/2(soon)   Yes,with source

ARJZ      Apr '95  (Bulat.Ziganshin@f10.n5049.z2.fidonet.org)
v0.15      Shareware   DOS,Windows NT,OS/2                Yes

ARX       Jan '95  Michael A. Kosior  (mkosior@acad.bryant.edu)
v1.00      Shareware   DOS                                No

AVPACK    Apr '93  Andrei Volkov
v1.22      Freeware    DOS                                N/A

BSARC     May '95  Serg Babitchew
v2.0.0     Shareware   DOS,Win,Win NT,OS/2,QNX,Unix       No

CODEC     Apr '95  Telvox Teleinform. (telvox.teleinf@bologna.nettuno.it)
v3.21      Shareware   DOS,Win,OS/2,Unix,VMS,PowerPC,more No

COMPACK   Nov '91  Prominence Computer Services Ltd.
v4.5       Shareware   DOS                                N/A

CRUSH     Feb '95  J. Rollason  (100031.3537@compuserve.com)
v1.8       Shareware   DOS                                No

DIET      Jun '92  Teddy Matsumoto
v1.45f     Freeware    DOS                                Yes

DWC       Mar '90  Dean W. Cooper  (dwcooper@ix.netcom.com)
v5.10      Freeware    DOS                                Yes

GZIP      Aug '93  Jean-loup Gailly  (gzip@prep.ai.mit.edu)
v1.2.4     Freeware    DOS,Windows NT,Unix,VMS,OS/2,Atari Yes

HA        Jan '95  Harri Hirvola  (harri.hirvola@vaisala.infonet.com)
v0.999b    Freeware    DOS,OS/2                           Yes,with source

HAP       Dec '94  Harald Feldmann  (feldmann@xs4all.nl)
v3.14e11   Commercial (v3.03 Shareware)  DOS              No

HAP       Oct '95  Harald Feldmann  (feldmann@xs4all.nl)
v4.0beta   Commercial (v3.03 Shareware)  DOS              No

HPACK     May '93  Peter Gutmann  (pgut@cs.aukuni.ac.nz)
v0.79a0    Shareware   DOS,OS/2,Unix,MAC,Amiga,Atari,Archimedes  No

HYPER     Sep '90  P. Sawatzki & K. Nischkle  (in307@dhafeu11.bitnet)
v2.5       Shareware   DOS                                No

INFOZIP   Sep '93  Info-ZIP  (zip-bugs@wkuvx1.wku.edu)
v2.0       Freeware    DOS,Unix,OS/2                      Yes,with source

JRCHIVE   May '95  JAYAR Systems  (jrsys@io.org)
v1.10      Shareware   DOS                                No

LHA       Jul '91  Haruyasu Yoshizaki  (coo236@sinet.ad.jp)
v2.55b     Freeware    DOS,Amiga,Mac                      Yes

LHARK     Oct '95  Kerwin F. Medina  (digi@mozcom.com)
v0.3e      Freeware    DOS                                Yes

LIMIT     Feb '94  J Y Lim  (jlim@cs.stanford.edu)
v1.2       Shareware   DOS                                No

LZEXE     Jan '90  Fabrice Bellard
v0.91      Freeware    DOS                                Yes

MDCD      Oct '88  Mike Davenport  (76676.1362@compuserve.com)
v1.0       Freeware    DOS                                Yes,with source

NULIB     Jan '93  Andy McFadden (fadden@uts.amdahl.com)
v3.24      Freeware    DOS                                Yes

PACKWIN   Jun '94  Yellow Rose Workgroup
v1.0alpha  Shareware   DOS                                N/A

PAK       Oct '90  NoGate Consulting
v2.51      Shareware   DOS                                No

PKLITE    Apr '95  PKWARE Inc.  (support@pkware.com)
v1.50      Shareware   DOS                                No

PKZIP     Feb '93  PKWARE Inc.  (support@pkware.com)
v2.04g     Shareware   DOS,Windows,OS/2                   No

PUT       Jan '95  Jim Hass  (73057.3113@compuserve.com)
v3.41      Shareware   DOS                                No

QUANTUM   Dec '94  Cinematronics  (davids@cruzio.com)
v0.96      Freeware    DOS,Windows                        No

QUARK     May '93  Kunz Robert
v1.0beta   Shareware   DOS                                No

RAR       Aug '95  Eugene Roshal  (helpdesk@icon.sentinel.co.uk)
v1.55      Shareware   DOS,OS/2,UNIX                      Yes,with source

SAR       Mar '93  Streamline Design
v1.0       Shareware   DOS                                No

SARJ      Nov '95  Frederic Taes  (fta@info.fundp.ac.be)
v1.20      Freeware    DOS                                Yes

SQWEZ     Nov '94  Jim Miller  (74131.1704@compuserve.com)
v2.2       Shareware   DOS                                No

SQZ       Jan '93  (Jonas.Hammarberg@p24.f107.n200.z2.fidonet.org)
v1.08.3    Shareware   DOS                                No

TAR       Jan '95  Tim V. Shaporev  (tim@shaporev.msk.su)
v3.20+     Shareware   DOS,Unix                           No

TINYPROG  Mar '94  Tranzoa, Co.
v3.9       Shareware   DOS                                N/A

TSCOMP      1991   The Stirling Group
v1.3.21    Shareware   DOS                                No

UC2       Jun '95  Ad Infinitum Products  (desk@aip.nl)
v3.0       Shareware(Free for non-commercial use)  DOS    Yes

UCEXE     Jun '95  Ad Infinitum Products  (desk@aip.nl)
v2.3       Shareware   DOS                                Yes

WINZIP    Aug '95  Nico Mak  (support@winzip.com)
v6.0       Shareware   Windows,Win95,Win NT               No

WWPACK    Jun '95  Piotr Warezak  (awarezak@krysia.uni.lodz.pl)
v3.03      Shareware   DOS                                No

X1        Aug '95  Stig Valentini  (sv@id.dtu.dk)
v0.94c     Freeware    DOS,OS/2                           Yes

YAC       Sep '95  Aleksandras Surna  (as@ashurna.msk.ru)
v1.02      Freeware    DOS                                Yes

ZOO       Jul '91  Rahul Dhesi  (dhesi@bsu-cu.bsu.edu)
v2.10      Shareware   DOS,Unix                           No

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

        The information above may not be 100% accurate so if anyone
notices any errors or finds something I left out, please let me know.


ARJ 2.50 - After a long wait from the previous version, the next
           release of ARJ is finally here.  This new version sports
           several very interesting new features.  The new SFX module
           now supports volume names and you can create multi-volume
           self-extracting ARJ files.  As far as I know, this is the
           first archiver to support this feature.  With the shareware
           version, you can only create up to 360k SFX volumes.
           Another big feature is graphical displays for ARJ, DEARJ,
           and ARJSFX.  There are many other small changes to ARJ.

           For more info e-mail:  robjung@world.std.com
           To get a copy:  ftp.elf.stuba.sk  /pub/pc/pack/arj250.exe

QUANTUM 0.96 - I have had several requests to re-test Quantum using
               the high-compression level 7 (-c7) mode.  As the author
               of Quantum warns when you enable -c7, it takes an
               extremely LONG time to compress and there is very little
               gain in compression.  So unless you are down to your
               last few bytes of disk space, I don't recommend using
               -c7 mode at all.

SARJ 1.20 - This archiver is a companion util with ARJ.  It allows you
            to create SOLID archives using ARJ.  This version even
            supports Windows95 long filenames.  It comes with a handy
            convert utility that easily allows you to convert other
            archive formats to the SRJ (Solid ARJ) format.

            For more info e-mail:  fta@info.fundp.ac.be
            To get a copy:  http://www.info.fundp.ac.be/~fta

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

        Anyone wishing to send me updated versions of archivers or email
may use PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) v2.6 or above to encrypt the info.
Listed below is my PGP public key which you can use to encrypt a binary
file or ascii file into RADIX-64 ascii format.  After you have encrypted
the file, you can then send it to me via email at my Internet address
listed below.  When you use my public key to encrypt something with PGP,
only I can decrypt the file so you can be certain that whatever you send
will only be seen by me.

-----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----
Version: 2.6.2i

mQCNAy53etMAAAEEAM9FrKHl4ZSsNl15zzbtYZoC48e4WT83AsdH5vHr7P0npRIM
unbDNUdBbQ0ZGppG4a0ccYpLs8EAkGJLGL28JCZzk4LDCLxCn14VoeVZSV25S0mj
1ApwoTUrzqWsrdbaeGdeJ1IBxG2zc9SMMDq3htPcGzb/KQvAbbgiZykcOlgBAAUR
tB1KZWZmIEdpbGNocmlzdCA8amVmZmdAbWkubmV0Pg==
=HI+u
-----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----

        If you have any comments or suggestions please feel free to
send me some EMAIL and I will try and reply as soon as I can.

INTERNET:  jeffg@mi.net

*** INFORMATION REQUESTED ***
If anyone knows the encryption methods that are (???) unknown in
the archiver Option List, please email and let me know.  Thanks!

+--------------------------------------------------------------+
|  HOW TO GET THE LATEST COPY OF THE ARCHIVE COMPARISON TEST   |
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
               ** Official Distribution Sites **
Via BBS
-------
DANGER UNLiMiTED   at   +1-403-280-3778   (300bps - 28,800bps)
Login ID: DISTRO   No password required.

Via FIDONET File-Request (FREQ)
-------------------------------
LineLife M/F  (Germany)               SysOp: Horst Hackenbruch
FREQable under the magic name: ACT
Most archivers also available on this site.
2:2433/940  (2400bps - 19,200bps Zyxel)  Phone: +49-2173-967910
2:2433/941  (ELINK EL310, x.75 ESDD-1)   Phone: +49-2173-967911

Via Internet
------------
WWW:  http://www.mi.net/act/act.html
FTP:  ftp.coast.net  /SimTel/msdos/archiver/actest??.zip
FTP:  ftp.elf.stuba.sk  /pub/pc/pack/actest??.zip
FINGER:  s0b8@jupiter.sun.csd.unb.ca

** If you are not listed above, you are NOT an official **
** distribution site.                                   **

--
-= JEFF GILCHRIST =-   (Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada)
- Author Of A.C.T. -   Internet:  jeffg@mi.net
