There's a bit of confusion here. ZIP files are lossless, that is to
say that compressing files into ZIPs and then decompressing
them never alters the files.

On the other hand, Winscore has a function it describes as
'condensing' - looking at the code it seems a position fix is
discarded if less than n seconds have elapsed since the last fix,
and that's the feature that's causing the loss of information.

It's difficult to estimate what effect that will have on filesize. I
think many IGC loggers use two separate rates for position fixes
- slow during cruise and fast during climb. Processing these files
by filtering fixes by frequency alone will have a savage effect on
the circling position data and leave the cruise trace
comparatively untouched.

At 15:23 27 March 2012, wrote:
Ron,

Hey, thanks for the information, and the personal attack - I
haven't
gotten=
that kind of rise out of anyone since I since last year, when I
was
censor=
ed at your Logan mountain-survival contest for using the U
word ;-).

Lets see: The zipped file size for March 16 was 655KB, which
represents
ab=
out 10-15 seconds at normal DSL rates (500-1000Kbs upload
speed). With
un-=
mangled files, the upload, done once per day, would have
taken about 3
time=
s longer, or about 45 seconds. Stop me when I go off track
here, but I
fai=
l to see the advantage of saving 30 seconds (or even 3
minutes)/day while
r=
endering ALL the files essentially useless for analysis.

The Seniors stopped using satellite-based internet connectivity
several
yea=
rs ago, but we still have problems with slow connections there
when
everyon=
e tries to get on at once. Many of us have started using the
Ubiquitous
(an=
other U word!) USB cell modems - my Verizon USB modem
cost me all of $50
fo=
r 1GB data with DSL-or-better upload/download rates.
However, even on bad
=
days at the Seniors, I'm not really sure how the difference
between 15
seco=
nds and 45 seconds of upload time on a once/day basis would
be significant.

The scoring at this year's Seniors was done by Florin
Alexandrescu. This
po=
st was not, and is not, any reflection on the superb job he did,
especially=
for a first-time scorer. It is, however, a call to stop
compressing IGC
f=
iles to the point of unusability in an attempt to save an
insignificant
amo=
unt of internet upload time. I would be more than happy to
use my own USB
=
modem bandwidth for this purpose at any contest I attend -
just ask ;-).

Frank (TA)
=20

=20
There is a parameter in WINSCORE that allows the scorer,
when up loading
=
IGC files, to compress them and to specify the minimum time
between fixes.
=20
The scorer can re-upload if they so desire, have a better
internet
connec=
tion and have the time. Last time I was at Seminole
"ubiquitous
high-speed=
" access was not available, rather they only have satellite
based internet
=
access. Many rural areas do not have the same access to the
internet as
yo=
u city folks.
=20
You are jumping to conclusions and implicating hard working
volunteers.
=
There is not deliberate conspiracy issues occurring here. Take
off your
ta=
inted, rose colored glasses and try to understand reality and
stop beating
=
on the volunteers that make competitions happen.=20
=20
Ron Gleason