[Geek] Compression utility

[dancefloorlandmine]

We've got people currently using .zip utilities to compress files. However, we've also had a problem with at least one .zip archive corrupting, which is, technically at least, referred to as "a bugger". What, in the collected opinion of those who intermittently browse these tedious pages, is the best compression software, taking into account cost, compression performance, reliability, and recoverability/tendency to corrupt. Oh, and ease of use ...

Cheers, all!

Comments

[stevek.livejournal.com]

Winzip is the obvious answer, but at work I've got ZipGenius5 - I can't really comment on their reliability etc as I don't zip stuff too often.

Sorry, probably not quite the answer you were looking for!

[d-floorlandmine.livejournal.com]

We're mostly using BigSpeed Zipper, as it's shareware which is still free for charities.
Thanks for the tips - although the query was more as to which compression format is the best - .zip as opposed to it's competitors, but this is handy anyhow!

[blue-condition.livejournal.com]

Ugh, no, most of the rar installers out there on the net come cunningly bundled with spyware. The warez d00d's favoure archiver.

[flick.livejournal.com]

Do you really need to zip stuff? Couldn't you blag a couple of pen drives and use those? just a thought!

[d-floorlandmine.livejournal.com]

It's mostly an interim solution until we get a NAS or similar larger storage installed - them buggers have been clogging our server drives until they are almost full, which means that backup software etc was having trouble. However, I think that I've just come up with a business case to have a CD-burner added to my desktop PC, to ease archiving files and getting them off the server ... [grin]

[flick.livejournal.com]

Rar! Now that's the kind of thing you want to be doing!

[jaq.livejournal.com]

If you installed Cygwin you could use Gzip or Bzipped tars - Gzip is fairly ubiquitous and usually comes out slightly smaller than Zip; Bzip is not quite so well known but makes even smaller files. If you're happy with a unix-style shell you can script these, which could be useful. Not sure how well GUI tools deal with them though.

[easterbunny.livejournal.com]

I'm ashamed to say that I use winzip on my laptop, and plain old tar and gzip on my linux box. I'm also a big fan of java's jar facility and making .WAR with maven, but those are not quite right for your standard zip alternative.

[jaq.livejournal.com]

Java jar is just a zip file with a different name anyway.

[valkyriekaren.livejournal.com]

Mmm, unzipping... ;->

Zippyness :)

[gaxx.livejournal.com]

The format? .zip without a doubt. Why?

• Pretty much all of the general-purpose compression formats are pretty much on a par for compression-ratio and speed.


• .zip is, by a very long way, the most prevalent format for the PC


• There are plenty of free tools for .zip as well as free libraries for codies to write stuff

Util to work with it? I go for ZipGenius - easy, free and realatively reliable.

Corruption? Unfortunately files will corrupt from time to time. The more compressed they are the more likely that corruption is to do something nasty (I haven't thought that one through thoroughly but I think I'm right). The only real defence is proper backups :)

[thepaintedone.livejournal.com]

For format, ZIP. Anything else makes not the slightest bit of sense for non-geeks.

Personaly I've always used the shareware version of winzip (well I originaly used pkzip, but never mind). Or rather I did until I migrated to windows XP. It has built in zip support in the OS, which presents zips as folders to the users. Very, very simple, user friendly and free with the OS.

[d-floorlandmine.livejournal.com]

[grin] Yeah - I've just discovered the XP zip bundling, having had to upgrade to a new work PC following the failure of my last one. I used to use WinZip, but they've gone all time-limited on our ass, so until I moved to XP I was using BigSpeed Zipper, as it is still free to charities. Might well just sort out a WinZip licence soon, but seeing as we were without an IT Manager at the time ...

Cheers!

[thepaintedone.livejournal.com]

Have you tried an older version of the free trial of winzip? I haven't downloaded one for a couple of years now, but all the older versions kept working no matter how far past the time limit you went. I probably have an old copy of the installer somewhere if you like?

(This of course would be naughty, but I won't tell if you won't) ;o)

[d-floorlandmine.livejournal.com]

[grin] Now that would be handy. One of the PCs here might have the old version, but I'm not sure which one!

I'll be wery wery quiet!

[resyk.livejournal.com]

I like the winzip self extractor app, simply because it allows me to force destination if necessary and is a one-click for the end user - but, for general compression goodness.. http://www.win-rar.com/index.php is great.

resyk