File Compression
Ubuntu Linux supports various file compression formats, many of which will automatically open when accessed via the desktop. The main compression file types you are likely to encounter are listed in Table 7-6.
Table 7-6. Common file and compression types
File type | Compress with | Decompress with |
|---|---|---|
.bz2 | bzip2 | bunzip2 |
.gz | gzip | gunzip |
.tar | tar | tar |
.zip | zip | unzip |
.tar.gz or .tgz | gzip and tar | gunzip and tar |
.tar.bz2 | bzip2 and tar | bunzip2 and tar |
Some of the compression programs will handle other types of files
too, but generally each is best compressed and decompressed using its own
programs. For example, to compress the file finances.doc using gzip, you could enter the following:
gzip finances.docA new file called finances.doc.gz will then be
created containing the compressed file, and the original will be removed.
To keep your original file when creating a compressed copy, use the
-k option (for keep), like this:
gzip -k finances.docLikewise, you can compress a file with bzip2 in the same way using either of the
following:
bzip2 finances.doc bzip2 -k finances.doc
The first creates the compressed file finances.doc.bz2 and removes the original file, whereas the second creates a compressed file but also keeps the original in place.
Extracting Files
To extract files from a gzip
archive, enter a command such as the following:
gunzip finances.doc.gzThis extracts the file finances.doc and then removes the archive
file. You can similarly extract files from a bzip2 archive using a command such as
this:
bunzip2 ...