Quote:
Originally Posted by MrSlow&Steady
Yeah I don't get why Rar files exist when Zip files already exist.
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That is like saying I don't get why Pepsi exists when Coke already exists or why Costa exists when Starbucks already exists.
<Old Man Mode>
Back in my day, before Windows existed, there were loads of competing compression programs and they all had advantages and disadvantages.
The zip format was invented by Phil Katz and his program was called pkzip and became popular because it was so much faster than other programs at that time. But one of the features that the original pkzip program was missing was the ability to handle zip files that were too big to fit on a floppy disk.
Arj and Rar files handled this better.
Also at the time of slow dialup modems and small hard disks, even a slight decrease in the size of file compressed file meant user saved money on their telephone bills and hosting servers also saved money. (As a comparison, my internet is over a hundred thousand times faster than my first dial-up modem).
But PK allowed anyone to write their own software to use his format for free which is why Microsoft added support for zip files in Windows without users needing to download additional software.
But many hosting sites still avoided zip files because the original program and Microsoft's implementation could not handle files over 4GB.
</Old Man Mode>