Opinions for best freeware unzip/rar etc utility.

[photon]

Originally Posted by mykalberta

I use shareware version at home and purchased version at work, no problems with either. And the shareware version is free.

No it isn't free. Read the license:

WinRAR End User License AgreementThe RAR (and its Windows version - WinRAR) archiver are shareware. This means:

1. All copyrights to RAR and WinRAR are exclusively owned by the author - Alexander Roshal.
2. Anyone may use this software during a test period of 40 days. Following this test period of 40 days or less, if you wish to continue to use WinRAR, you must purchase a license.

[LeftWing]

Originally Posted by llama64

WinRAR isn't free. It's buggy shareware.

Is this an assumption based on the 'Win' prefix (i.e. an I hate Windows issue)? I'm trying to remember any time I've had it error out or blow up in the last eight years, but I really can't.

[llama64]

I called WinRar buggy because unless you crack it (using dubious methods) its shareware splash screen would occasionally crash on my system.

It's shell integration never seemed to work properly for me either.

Add to this that I hate managing archive files using a cumbersome GUI (which WinRAR basically forced me to do), I got tired of it. Once I discouvered 7Zip, I havn't looked back.

The windows implementation of 7Zip is just a better application. Plus, it's a pretty big opensource project, which means good karma.

I should say that I basically stopped using WinRAR nearly three years ago. So I may not be up to date on what WinRAR is like currently.

[mykalberta]

Originally Posted by photon

No it isn't free. Read the license:

If win WinRAR distributes a trial version then its WinRAR's responsibility to lock down their software after the trial period. I havent cracked the freebie version and am able to use it without issue after the trial period.

Call it what you will, I call that freeware. If the price of a single user license was say $10 or even $15 I would have no problem purchasing it. However, $29 for a single user license is ridiculous for a piece of software that isnt alone in the market place and that doesnt serve a function that I use even once a week in a home environment.

[photon]

So the price, and because they chose to be nicer to the end user than the disable-after-trial software model are the reasons you use to not pay for the software? However you want to rationalize it to yourself is fine, just making sure you weren't misinforming everyone else.

Great logic by the way; it's easy to violate the copyright so it's ok to do it.

[llama64]

Originally Posted by mykalberta

If win WinRAR distributes a trial version then its WinRAR's responsibility to lock down their software after the trial period. I havent cracked the freebie version and am able to use it without issue after the trial period.

Call it what you will, I call that freeware. If the price of a single user license was say $10 or even $15 I would have no problem purchasing it. However, $29 for a single user license is ridiculous for a piece of software that isnt alone in the market place and that doesnt serve a function that I use even once a week in a home environment.

Or... you could use a better piece of software that actually is free. Then you're not breaking any laws or stealing anything.

Call it what you want, using a piece of shareware past it's trial license is technically stealing. Your personal opinion notwithstanding.