So, I decided to mess around with this “Elias Williams” thing today. I’d heard the name tossed around, figured it was some fancy-pants coding technique. Turns out, it’s about… well, I’ll get to that.
First, I googled it. Yep, straight to the search bar. I typed in “Elias Williams,” and a bunch of stuff popped up. Mostly academic-looking papers, which, honestly, made my eyes glaze over a bit.
Digging In
I skimmed a few of the results. It seemed like this Elias Williams character was all about data compression. You know, making files smaller. That’s cool, I guess. I mean, who doesn’t want smaller files?
I found some explanations that talked about “gamma codes,” “delta codes,” and “Fibonacci coding.” Sounded complicated. But I kept at it, trying to find something I could actually, you know, use.
Trying Stuff Out
I stumbled upon a couple of blog posts (not as polished as this one, obviously) that showed some code examples. Mostly Python, which is fine, I can handle Python.
I copied some of the code and pasted it into my own editor. I played around with it, changing the inputs, seeing what would happen. Lots of trial and error. Mostly error, if I’m being honest.
It felt like I was building a Lego castle but only saw every third instruction.
Finally, after much messing I try to write some simple codes of python.
- At first, I try my best to import relevant library.
- Second, I get a simple understanding of Gamma coding, Delta coding, and also Fibonacci coding.
- I pick a simple implement of Elias coding and try it on.
- Finally, I get a simple file compression in python.
What I Think I Learned
Okay, so here’s the gist of what I think Elias Williams is all about: It’s a way to represent numbers using fewer bits. Instead of storing a number like, say, 10 as “1010” (that’s 10 in binary), you use a special code that might be shorter, especially for large numbers.
The different methods (gamma, delta, Fibonacci) are just different ways of creating these codes. Each one has its own pros and cons, like how well it works for different types of numbers.
The whole compression thing is about when to use each of the methods above.
Honestly, it’s still a bit fuzzy. I feel like I’ve only scratched the surface. But hey, I tried something new, and that’s gotta count for something, right?
I need to find more examples, maybe a good video tutorial, or even a well commented python library.
