Bsdiff

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* [http://www.pokorra.de/coding/bsdiff.html bsdiff for Windows]
 
* [http://www.pokorra.de/coding/bsdiff.html bsdiff for Windows]
 
* [http://cx-bsdiff.sourceforge.net/ bsdiff Python extension]
 
* [http://cx-bsdiff.sourceforge.net/ bsdiff Python extension]
 +
* [http://openplanetsfoundation.org/system/files/bsdiff-4.0-documentation-colin-percival-bsd-licensed.pdf BSDIFF format information]
 
* [http://www.daemonology.net/papers/bsdiff.pdf Paper on algorithm used]
 
* [http://www.daemonology.net/papers/bsdiff.pdf Paper on algorithm used]
 
* [http://www.daemonology.net/papers/thesis.pdf Doctoral thesis by author describing more sophisticated algorithm]
 
* [http://www.daemonology.net/papers/thesis.pdf Doctoral thesis by author describing more sophisticated algorithm]
 
* [http://damaestro.us/blog/bsdiff-very-interesting-binary-diff Blog discussion]
 
* [http://damaestro.us/blog/bsdiff-very-interesting-binary-diff Blog discussion]
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* [http://openplanetsfoundation.org/blogs/2014-07-09-bsdiff-technological-solutions-reversible-pre-conditioning-complex-binary-objects BSDIFF: Technological Solutions for Reversible Pre-conditioning of Complex Binary Objects]

Latest revision as of 02:30, 10 July 2014

File Format
Name Bsdiff
Ontology
PRONOM fmt/439
Released 2003

Bsdiff is an open-source utility for generating diffs of binary files which can be distributed as patches or updates without having to send the entire set of binary data each time the package is updated. While one might think the need for such things is reduced with the much-improved bandwidth of modern times, software has also increased in size (the "bloatware" phenomenon), so the need for tools like this continues. Supposedly bsdiff generates more compact diff files than the high-priced proprietary RTPatch system.

bzip2 is used for compression.

There have been some forks and variant versions of bsdiff, and slightly-divergent forms are used for some platforms and software systems; for instance, there is an adapted version used for Mozilla updates (which, in turn, get put into Mozilla Archive files).

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