[Old News] Jacob Ziv, who created the foundation of file formats such as ZIP compression, PNG and PDF, died



Israeli computer scientist

Jacob Zi , who developed ZIP (ZIP compression), one of the data compression formats, the electronic document format PDF , and the data compression algorithms LZ77 and LZ78 , which were the basis for the audio file format MP3. Mr. V passed away. was 91 years old.

Israeli computer pioneer passes away just weeks after famed research partner
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On Sunday, March 26, 2023, Jacob Ziv, a prominent Israeli computer scientist and former president of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, passed away. was 91 years old. In February 2023, Mr. Abraham Lempel, who developed the LZ77 and LZ78 jointly with Mr. Ziv, had just passed away.

Mr. Zib on the left, Mr. Lempel on the right.



Ziv and Lempel released the first version of the LZ algorithm, LZ77, in 1977. After that, in 1979, the second version, LZ79, was released. The LZ algorithm is the basis of important compression technologies such as

TIFF , PNG , ZIP, and GIF , and is a technology that has played a central role in the development of formats such as PDF and MP3. Many compression techniques have been developed based on the LZ algorithm developed by Mr. Ziv and Mr. Lempel, and are still used today, so its contribution is immeasurable.

The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), known as the most important institution in the field of computing and computer science, said, ``The work of Lempel and Ziv is enormous, and the current research in this field was decades ago. And each year more and more theoretical and practical researchers work to develop extensions of the elegant ideas presented by Lempel and Ziv. It is no exaggeration to say that compression technology has made mobile computing and multimedia applications faster and more economically viable.'

In 2004, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) described the LZ algorithm as 'a breakthrough in the field of electronics and computer engineering', stating that it 'contributed significantly to transforming the Internet into electronics'. rice field.

In 2021, Mr. Ziv was awarded the IEEE Medal of Honor for his extensive work and significant contributions and outstanding research in the fields of information theory and data compression. Ziv is the first Israeli to receive this international award.



Ziv was born in Tiberias, Israel in 1931 and moved with his family to Ra'anana when he was three years old. When the war of independence broke out in Israel in 1948, Mr. Jib was drafted at the age of 16. After serving in the military, Mr. Ziv studied electrical engineering and computer science at the Israel Institute of Technology, earning his Bachelor's and Master's degrees. After that, he received a doctorate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), worked in research and development at Rafael and Bell Laboratories , and then became a faculty member at the Israel Institute of Technology.

Uli Sivan, president of the Israel Institute of Technology, said, ``Mr. Ziv's scientific contributions have changed the way we store, process, and analyze information.'' ``Professor Ziv inspired us all. A man who demonstrated the nature and its impact on humanity and its potential to drive the technological revolution.Professor Zib was not only a role model and an inspiration, but a mentor to guide me.Israel May Professor Ziv's memory be blessed throughout my academic journey at the Institute of Technology,' he said.

Edith Kimchi, dean of the Computer Engineering Department at the Israel Institute of Technology, said, 'We have not only traced the way information is transmitted over computer networks and stored in storage around the world, but also our electrical and computer engineering departments. He led the department as a brilliant dean, mentored, trained and inspired researchers, and together we will continue his legacy.'

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