What is a .PACK.GZ file?
The file extension .PACK.GZ represents a Pack200 Compressed Archive. This type of file is created by first using Pack200, a compression tool specifically designed for Java archives, to compress a .JAR file into a .PACK file. After this initial compression, the .PACK file is further compressed using gzip, a widely used compression method, resulting in a .PACK.GZ file. The purpose of this double compression process is to significantly reduce the size of the original .JAR file, making it easier and faster to download over the Internet.
To open a .PACK.GZ file, you can use several programs. Oracle Pack200 and Oracle Java Web Start were originally designed to handle these files, but they have been discontinued. However, other software options are available, including gzip, which can decompress the .GZ part of the file. For users on Windows, Smith Micro StuffIt Deluxe and Corel WinZip are capable of handling .PACK.GZ files. Mac users can use Smith Micro StuffIt Deluxe Mac 16 for the same purpose. These programs help in decompressing and accessing the contents of the compressed .JAR file stored within the .PACK.GZ archive.
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