GZip?

[~teh_pwn3rz~]

.Net 2005 appears to have GZip support. But what are the copyright and open-source ramifications of using this support in a commercial application?

MSDN doesn't appear to detail what is required to legally use this. Any ideas?

[JasonC]

I beleive the "zip" format is open, meaning here should be an RFC for it.
I say if its there, use it. No one thinks twice about a .gif or a .jpg file.

Could be this one: http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc1950.txt

[Kasracer]

If it's in the .Net framework, you should have no issue using it in any kind of applicaiton

[jmcilhinney]

Here's a quote from the help topic for the GZipStream class:

This class represents the gzip data format, which uses an industry standard algorithm for lossless file compression and decompression. The format includes a cyclic redundancy check value for detecting data corruption. The gzip data format uses the same algorithm as the DeflateStream class, but can be extended to use other compression formats. The format can be readily implemented in a manner not covered by patents. The format for gzip is available from the RFC 1952, "GZIP ." This class cannot be used to compress files larger than 4 GB.

[JasonC]

Damn was I close...

[~teh_pwn3rz~]

Here's a quote from the help topic for the GZipStream class:

Yes I saw that quote too. Rather ambiguous though isnt it. It sound like a disclaimer on MS's part against any lawsuits.

They don't seem to offer any elabortation or edification about what exactly is qualified by that statement. Gotta love MS. *sigh*