FW Editor: What are your plans or objectives for the near future?
Michael Dipperstein: My immediate objective is to finish this interview. There's a marathon somewhere in my future too. The software stuff is just a hobby that I work on when I have both the time and the desire.

FW Editor: How and when did you start writing the code for 'Arithmetic coding and decoding'? What inspired you the most?
Michael Dipperstein: I've implemented a few different compression algorithms. I started with Huffman Coding when my copy of Numerical Recipes in C fell open to that section. That was back in 2003. After that curiosity about other compression algorithms kept me going.

FW Editor: Which is the first software you ever created?
Michael Dipperstein: I don't remember, but I'm sure it involved a TRS-80 back in 1980.

FW Editor: Which is the best feature of 'Arithmetic coding and decoding'?
Michael Dipperstein: I think the best feature of my code is that anybody can read the source and learn from it.

FW Editor: What is your favorite 'Arithmetic coding and decoding' feature and why?
Michael Dipperstein: My favorite feature of my code is that anybody can read the source and learn from it. Because it's accessible, it gets used, studied, and built upon by a fair amount of people.

FW Editor: What are the advantages of using 'Arithmetic coding and decoding' over any other similar product?
Michael Dipperstein: The only real advantage is that it's accessible, it's certainly no the best, fastest, or smallest arithmetic coding library.

FW Editor: How can you describe 'Arithmetic coding and decoding' in just a few words? Why?
Michael Dipperstein: It is an easy to read library that implements arithmetic coding and decoding.

FW Editor: Is there any message you would like to send to 'Arithmetic coding and decoding' users?
Michael Dipperstein: Send me any improvements that you have. I'll work them in my code and credit you with the changes.