.TH ZLIB 3 "18 July 2005"+
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.SH NAME+
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zlib \- compression/decompression library+
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.SH SYNOPSIS+
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[see+
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.I zlib.h+
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for full description]+
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.SH DESCRIPTION+
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The+
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.I zlib+
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library is a general purpose data compression library.+
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The code is thread safe.+
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It provides in-memory compression and decompression functions,+
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including integrity checks of the uncompressed data.+
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This version of the library supports only one compression method (deflation)+
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but other algorithms will be added later+
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and will have the same stream interface.+
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.LP+
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Compression can be done in a single step if the buffers are large enough+
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(for example if an input file is mmap'ed),+
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or can be done by repeated calls of the compression function.+
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In the latter case,+
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the application must provide more input and/or consume the output+
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(providing more output space) before each call.+
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.LP+
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The library also supports reading and writing files in+
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.IR gzip (1)+
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(.gz) format+
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with an interface similar to that of stdio.+
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.LP+
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The library does not install any signal handler.+
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The decoder checks the consistency of the compressed data,+
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so the library should never crash even in case of corrupted input.+
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.LP+
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All functions of the compression library are documented in the file+
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.IR zlib.h .+
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The distribution source includes examples of use of the library+
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in the files+
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.I example.c+
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and+
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.IR minigzip.c .+
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.LP+
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Changes to this version are documented in the file+
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.I ChangeLog+
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that accompanies the source,+
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and are concerned primarily with bug fixes and portability enhancements.+
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.LP+
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A Java implementation of+
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.I zlib+
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is available in the Java Development Kit 1.1:+
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.IP+
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http://www.javasoft.com/products/JDK/1.1/docs/api/Package-java.util.zip.html+
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.LP+
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A Perl interface to+
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.IR zlib ,+
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written by Paul Marquess (pmqs@cpan.org),+
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is available at CPAN (Comprehensive Perl Archive Network) sites,+
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including:+
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.IP+
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http://www.cpan.org/modules/by-module/Compress/+
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.LP+
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A Python interface to+
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.IR zlib ,+
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written by A.M. Kuchling (amk@magnet.com),+
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is available in Python 1.5 and later versions:+
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.IP+
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http://www.python.org/doc/lib/module-zlib.html+
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.LP+
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A+
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.I zlib+
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binding for+
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.IR tcl (1),+
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written by Andreas Kupries (a.kupries@westend.com),+
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is availlable at:+
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.IP+
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http://www.westend.com/~kupries/doc/trf/man/man.html+
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.LP+
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An experimental package to read and write files in .zip format,+
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written on top of+
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.I zlib+
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by Gilles Vollant (info@winimage.com),+
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is available at:+
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.IP+
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http://www.winimage.com/zLibDll/unzip.html+
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and also in the+
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.I contrib/minizip+
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directory of the main+
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.I zlib+
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web site.+
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.SH "SEE ALSO"+
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The+
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.I zlib+
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web site can be found at either of these locations:+
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.IP+
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http://www.zlib.org+
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.br+
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http://www.gzip.org/zlib/+
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.LP+
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The data format used by the zlib library is described by RFC+
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(Request for Comments) 1950 to 1952 in the files:+
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.IP+
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http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc1950.txt (concerning zlib format)+
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.br+
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http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc1951.txt (concerning deflate format)+
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.br+
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http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc1952.txt (concerning gzip format)+
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.LP+
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These documents are also available in other formats from:+
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.IP+
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ftp://ftp.uu.net/graphics/png/documents/zlib/zdoc-index.html+
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.LP+
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Mark Nelson (markn@ieee.org) wrote an article about+
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.I zlib+
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for the Jan. 1997 issue of  Dr. Dobb's Journal;+
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a copy of the article is available at:+
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.IP+
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http://dogma.net/markn/articles/zlibtool/zlibtool.htm+
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.SH "REPORTING PROBLEMS"+
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Before reporting a problem,+
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please check the+
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.I zlib+
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web site to verify that you have the latest version of+
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.IR zlib ;+
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otherwise,+
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obtain the latest version and see if the problem still exists.+
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Please read the+
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.I zlib+
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FAQ at:+
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.IP+
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http://www.gzip.org/zlib/zlib_faq.html+
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.LP+
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before asking for help.+
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Send questions and/or comments to zlib@gzip.org,+
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or (for the Windows DLL version) to Gilles Vollant (info@winimage.com).+
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.SH AUTHORS+
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Version 1.2.3+
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Copyright (C) 1995-2005 Jean-loup Gailly (jloup@gzip.org)+
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and Mark Adler (madler@alumni.caltech.edu).+
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.LP+
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This software is provided "as-is,"+
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without any express or implied warranty.+
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In no event will the authors be held liable for any damages+
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arising from the use of this software.+
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See the distribution directory with respect to requirements+
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governing redistribution.+
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The deflate format used by+
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.I zlib+
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was defined by Phil Katz.+
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The deflate and+
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.I zlib+
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specifications were written by L. Peter Deutsch.+
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Thanks to all the people who reported problems and suggested various+
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improvements in+
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.IR zlib ;+
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who are too numerous to cite here.+
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.LP+
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UNIX manual page by R. P. C. Rodgers,+
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U.S. National Library of Medicine (rodgers@nlm.nih.gov).+
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.\" end of man page+
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