The score that started it all

The Weissman Test

One file, scored on ratio × speed against a standard. The reference is gzip — it scores 1.00. Anton (Pied Piper) and Hooli (Nucleus) each earn a Weissman score versus it: clear 1.00 and you’ve beaten the standard, like Pied Piper did. Everything runs on the server, so the numbers don’t depend on your laptop.

Run the test  ▸What’s a Weissman score?
Anton — checking the rack…▱▱▱▱
Data typeHow the bytes are read (the float path uses the GPU key‑map).
Drop a file here, or use the buttons belowAny file — over 64 MB streams automatically. All three engines run capped (0.5 CPU / 384 MiB).
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No magic. Just the formula.

How the Weissman score works

The real metric devised for the show by Prof. Tsachy Weissman & Vinith Misra. Every compressor is scored against a standard reference (here, gzip) — so it’s not a head-to-head: Anton and Hooli each get their own score versus the same baseline, exactly like Pied Piper vs Nucleus in the show.

W = α · ( r / rref ) · ( log Tref / log T )
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r / rref — ratio

rref is the standard’s ratio (gzip). Beat gzip’s compression and this term climbs above 1. On a JPEG, gzip gets nothing — so Anton’s recompression makes this term jump.

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log Tref / log T — speed

Tref is the standard’s time. Faster than gzip → bonus; slower → penalty. Anton’s GPU path is quick; its BWT/JPEG paths trade speed for ratio.

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W — the score

α is chosen so gzip scores exactly 1.00. Above 1 means you beat the standard. Pied Piper’s legendary 2.89 → 5.2 were all measured this way.

$ run the test above — the live numbers land here:
$ original · Anton(size, time) · Hooli(size, time) → W
ALWAYS BLUE!