
42.zip: A single 42,374-byte zip file that uncompresses to one million 4.5GB files (4.5PB) - soundsop
http://www.unforgettable.dk/
======
rythie
For anyone who doesn't have the time to break this down, basically it breaks
down like this:

42.zip > lib {0-f}.zip > book {0-f}.zip -> chapter {0-f}.zip -> doc {0-f}.zip
-> page {0-f}.zip -> 0.dll

where {0-f} should be expanded to 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 a b c d e f

and 0.dll is a 4GB file

$ head -c 1000 0.dll |od -c

0000000 252 252 252 252 252 252 252 252 252 252 252 252 252 252 252 252

*

0001740 252 252 252 252 252 252 252 252

0001750

or loads of <AA>'s when viewed in less.

------
wmf
Oh, so you have to _recursively_ unzip for the full effect. I don't know of
any tools that do that, although I wouldn't be surprised if virus scanners do
it.

~~~
ovi256
So ... email it? Maybe through GMail ?

Edit: tried it, GMail refuses the attachement, as the file contains an
"executable" file. They took the easy way. Can't blame them though.

------
antirez
Bad compression, I know a better one:

    
    
        while 1
            output "\x00"
    

Just few bytes for infinite effects :)

I guess that given the context it's a shame I can't share this article of
mine: <http://antirez.com/post/87> because it's in italian language but maybe
there are more people able to read italian than I hope here.

~~~
kirubakaran
[http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fantirez...](http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fantirez.com%2Fpost%2F87&hl=en&ie=UTF8&sl=it&tl=en)

------
randomtyler
Yeah, disappointing that it's a recursive unzip. Can't prank someone with
this...yet.

~~~
Hexstream
One's disappointment is another's relief.

------
halo
On a related note, there's a Gzip quine (a program which produces itself as an
output) floating about which I thought was quite impressive if you're into
this sort of thing.

~~~
rw
Link to gzip quine:

[http://groups.google.com/group/comp.compression/browse_threa...](http://groups.google.com/group/comp.compression/browse_thread/thread/c57c322e15c782aa/350d9fb166fdf11f)

~~~
mikedouglas
(Non-dead) link to the file: <http://www.maximumcompression.com/selfgz.gz>

------
staticshock
and it contains at most 42,374 bytes of information, no matter how verbosely
it is spelled out once unpacked. compression doesn't hide information, it just
displays it in the most concise way possible.

but call me up when you can archive information into thin air, such that the
data can be smaller than the smallest self contained equivalent. there some
ways to do this. for example, "the first million digits of pi" is a very
concise way of referring to a number with a million digits. and pi doesn't
have to be stored anywhere, it can always be calculated. so the information is
compressed to pi[0..10^6] plus the overhead of the algorithm for calculating
digits of pi. since the algorithm would be of constant size, there would be a
threshold (likely less than 10^6) after which this approach would be more
spacewise efficient than a self contained zip.

too bad there isn't an easily recognizable off-the-shelf constant for every
million digit number one would want to compress. pi is transcendental, so
EVERYTHING is theoretically in it, but it's tough to find anything in
particular and, if you do, it's going to be REALLY deep. and referencing
something at a random location deep in pi would probably take no less space
than the original data we're compressing.

i wish there was something like that, though. it wouldn't be practical, but...
for theory's sake.

------
dangoldin
I guess the only way this file could have been created is recursively unless I
am missing something.

------
Starbucks
so what? fill in a 20gb file with zeros or f.i. in this case, the actual
content of this 40kb file over and over, zip it, and you will get the same
result on unzip.

DEFLATE is a way improved run-length encoding. Nothing productive though
here... :)

------
bockris
Reminiscent of the 'Billion Laughs' XML file.

~~~
vmcodes
It's a Virus ...

~~~
Vipsy
This is a Trojan Horse.

YC admin should remove this post immediately.

