Why it matters

RLE is simple + effective for runs. Understanding shapes compression.

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The architecture

Scan input.

Emit (value, count) pairs.

Continue.

RLE encodingScan inputfor runsEmit (val, cnt)each runContinuenext runPCX + BMP + fax + some image formats use; combined with entropy coding often
Run-length encoding.
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How it works end to end

Fixed-length count or variable.

Image + fax standard.

Sparse data efficient.