It's easy for Windows users to forget that WinZip isn't the
only file-compression utility in the world. Like its better-known competitors,
the free 7-Zip unpacks a host of archive formats, including ZIP, TAR, GZ, and
its own 7z format. Unlike WinZip, though, it can create TAR and GZ archives,
which are commonly used on Unix and Linux systems.
The program's ability to shrink files was stunning. In our
tests, 7z archives were up to 40 percent smaller then their ZIP equivalents,
although compression did take longer, and the highest compression settings can
hog system resources. Advanced options include the ability to create solid and
self-extracting archives, and to adjust the compression level and password
protection. The program also has a command line module. Though the main
interface is overly simple and looks like it was designed for Windows 95, it's
not hard to use and fairly self-explanatory. The context menu options, which
include "testing" an archive, indicate that 7-Zip should be taken
seriously.
7-Zip is fine for casual users with a bit of computer savvy,
but it's especially well-suited for developers and anyone else who moves
between the Windows and Linux/Unix worlds.
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