programs to protect your maps

[Lyerae]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but if that were ture, protected maps would be unplayable wouldn't they?

Optimization removes files used by the world editor, but not by the game itself.
Classic example of this would be the deletion of the GUI files - the files that are used to create the GUI triggers in the World Editor. After these are removed, GUI data cannot be recovered. Only JASS.

What's the ultimate way to make map sizes the smallest as can be?

Optimizer + Widgetizer.

[stealer]

I think you got that reversed.

I believe you're supposed to widetize the map and then vex it. the other way around is suppose to produce an error.