Zstandard – Real-time data compression algorithm
> Zstandard is a real-time compression algorithm, providing high compression ratios. It offers a very wide range of compression / speed trade-off<p>This would have been very handy about 17 years ago when I was doing a virtual CD-ROM driver, and needed to store compressed images, and the client wanted a wide range of speed/compression options for the user--much wider than zlib offered.<p>I ended up doing a hack that was either the most disgusting thing I have ever done, or was brilliant. I have not been able to decide which.<p>My hack: I gave them a compression/speed slider that went from 0 to 100. If the slider was set to N, I would apply zlib at maximum compression to N consecutive blocks, and then apply no compression to 100-N consecutive blocks. Repeat until the whole image is stored.<p>The client loved it.