Software Compression Concept Help

[Gaigemasta]

Ok, I really wanna know how programs such as Winrar work at their core function, i mean do they search for syntax strings like X5X and then tell it to eliminate the 5, and when to go decompress it says put all 5's back between two X's? or something on that line?
or does any1 have the true basic algorithm for it?

[KillAndChill]

Google can give you more information than any of us can.

Source code to decrypt rar files is publicly available though: http://www.rarlabs.com/rar_add.htm

[boast]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DEFLATE

so what you say is half of it.

[EvGa]

There are many different algorithms you can use for compression.

Google ftw.

The beginning: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lempel%E2% ... 80%93Welch

[Gaigemasta]

roflcopter, thanx guys