Explore the fundamentals and intricacies of data compression in this 43-minute conference talk from Strange Loop 2013. Delve into the algorithms powering most compression tools, starting with basic concepts like run-length, delta, and Huffman coding. Examine popular compression methods such as gzip's DEFLATE and bzip's Burrows-Wheeler transform. Learn how to design protocols and data formats that complement compression techniques. Discover insights from the speaker's experience in developing a decompression library for a resource-constrained embedded system. Gain a deeper understanding of the information theory behind compression and its widespread applications in various platforms, from web content encoding to video streaming and file archiving.