SoftwareOperating SystemsWindowsDev who created Zip file support in Windows is part of the shadowy cabal of people who have actually paid for WinRARWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
SoftwareOperating SystemsWindowsDev who created Zip file support in Windows is part of the shadowy cabal of people who have actually paid for WinRARWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: WinRAR)
Something else that Plummer developed as a personal project was his own compressed file shareware tool, VisualZip. Microsoft bought it and added a watered-down version of it toWindows, initially as an add-on for Win98 and then as a permanent feature in WinME.
So the fact that he bought a licence key forWinRAR, the evergreen competitor to Zip, is both funny and rather heartwarming to me. I like the fact that the timing of the purchase of WinRAR ties in with Plummer leaving Microsoft, though it’s probably entirely coincidental. It’s almost like it’s one shareware dev saying to another one ‘I got you, fam.’
But I also have a bit of a soft spot for companies that make really good shareware and WinRAR is a classic example of this, especially since it’s ‘nagware.’
Thinking of upgrading?(Image credit: Microsoft)Windows 11 review: What we think of the latest OS.How to install Windows 11: Our guide to a secure install.Windows 11 TPM requirement: Strict OS security.
Thinking of upgrading?
(Image credit: Microsoft)Windows 11 review: What we think of the latest OS.How to install Windows 11: Our guide to a secure install.Windows 11 TPM requirement: Strict OS security.
(Image credit: Microsoft)
Windows 11 review: What we think of the latest OS.How to install Windows 11: Our guide to a secure install.Windows 11 TPM requirement: Strict OS security.
This is a product that gives you a free trial period but then never locks you out of using it once the period is over; it just keeps reminding you to buy it and in the case of WinRAR, hardly anyone ever does. And that’s because you get pretty much all the features you want for a file compression system, whether you buy the licence key or not.
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In his X post, Plummer also reveals why Microsoft’s compressed file system was (and still is, to a certain extent) just so basic compared to most third party programs: “…it’s gotta be simple to be on everyone’s machine. They backed out more advanced features like encryption and so on because they just wanted to hit the base case. And they probably rightly assumed power users would likely buy a third party archiver…”
If you’re looking for a deeper insight into Plummer’s work with Task Manager and Zip support in Windows, then get it straight from the horse’s mouth with hisseries of YouTube videos on the subject.
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