compress

Purpose

Compress one or more files by using Lempel-Ziv compression.

Syntax

compress [-cdrvV] files

Options

-c writes the compressed file to the standard output and retains the original file.

-d decompresses the file.

-r recursively compresses files in all subdirectories.

-v displays a message as each file is compressed.

-V prints the version number and exits.

Description

The compress command compresses each specified file and replaces the original with the compressed version (with a .Z suffix appended to the name). You can decom-press the file with the compress -d command or the uncompress command.