Compressed file formats, ZIP and RAR in particular, really started to come of age with the increased popularity of the internet when, in order to save having to transfer huge volumes of data, it made sense to reduce the size of files as much as possible, cutting download times and the amount of storage space required to house the files. The same principles apply now when emailing files to friends and family or for when backing up data.
With support for a wide range of compression formats, including the ubiquitous ZIP as well as RAR, ISO and CAB, WinRAR doesn't leave you short of options...
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Although something of a stalwart of compression in the early days of PCs, PKZip is not a name that springs to most minds when thinking of ZIP tools nowadays.
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WinZip is probably the best known compression tool on the market. The program can be used in Wizard or Advanced mode, depending on how much hand-holding you need...
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7-Zip has the advantage of being free of charge. When it comes to creating archives, the program offers the choice of the native 7z format, BZIP2, GZIP, TAR and ZIP...
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StuffIt is more generally recognised as a compression tool for Apple computers, which explains the program's support for the SIT format in addition to ZIP, RAR...
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Compression tools round up
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Claire Woffenden, Editor
