Stacker

Error creating thumbnail:

File:Tagebau Garzweiler - Absetzer Nr. 755 in Betrieb.webm

File:A portable tracked 60'-0 (18.3m) stacking conveyor.jpg

Stacker

Type	Data Compression Software
Inventor
Inception
Manufacturer
Available
Discontinued	1995
Website	[ Official website]
Related articles

{{This technology related article is a stub.}}

Stacker was a data compression software utility developed by Stac Electronics for use on MS-DOS and early versions of Microsoft Windows. It was designed to increase the amount of data that could be stored on a hard disk by compressing files on-the-fly.

History

Stacker was first released in 1990 by Stac Electronics, a company that specialized in data compression technology. The software quickly gained popularity due to its ability to effectively double the storage capacity of hard drives, which were relatively expensive and limited in size at the time.

Functionality

Stacker worked by creating a compressed volume file on the hard disk, which acted as a virtual drive. When a user saved a file, Stacker would automatically compress the file and store it in the compressed volume. When the file was accessed, Stacker would decompress it on-the-fly, allowing the user to interact with the file as if it were uncompressed.

Technical Details

Stacker used a proprietary compression algorithm that was optimized for speed and efficiency. The software was implemented as a device driver that intercepted file system calls, allowing it to compress and decompress data transparently to the user.

Legal Issues

In 1993, Stac Electronics sued Microsoft for patent infringement, claiming that Microsoft's DoubleSpace disk compression utility, included with MS-DOS 6.0, violated Stac's patents. The court ruled in favor of Stac Electronics, awarding them $120 million in damages. This legal battle was a significant event in the history of software patents.

Decline and Discontinuation

With the advent of larger and cheaper hard drives, the need for disk compression software like Stacker diminished. Additionally, improvements in operating systems and file systems reduced the performance benefits of on-the-fly compression. Stac Electronics eventually discontinued Stacker in 1995.

Legacy

Stacker is remembered as a pioneering product in the field of data compression. It demonstrated the potential of software-based solutions to extend hardware capabilities and influenced the development of future compression technologies.

Also see

• Data compression
• MS-DOS
• DoubleSpace
• Disk compression
• Stac Electronics