Found on Slashdot this morning:
"Today WinZip released a public beta version of
WinZip 10.0, the latest version of the popular archiving software. The
biggest change in this version is that the software has finally been broken into two versions - Standard and
Professional, offering paying users additional functionality in the Professional version, while allowing others to use
the Standard edition without an annoying nag screen. Version 10.0 has a revamped interface designed to mimic XP's
Windows Explorer, and claims to zip archives faster. The software now supports the PPMd and bzip2 compression formats,
and can burn from zip archives directly to writable optical media such as CDs and DVDs. The main addition to the Pro
edition is an automation feature called 'WinZip Job Wizard' which allows scheduled archiving instructions to be set.
Almost all the other features we're used to now come completely free in the Standard edition."
This is a smart move. As many people I know have been using this utility for years and have simply adjusted to
clicking the "use evaluation version" button, offering the basic feature set as a nag-free no-cost option is a great
way to promote some goodwill. The new features will appeal, I think, primarily to those who do a lot compression work,
especially on a routine basis. My only complaint is that it appears there's still no support for RAR files.
WinZip 10.0 public beta now available
Reader Comments
(Page 1)3. WinZip may not be free, but 7-Zip is free (gratis and libre!). 7-Zip offers better compression in its own native .7z format, as well as offering read and write support for .zip, .tar, .cab and others.
See http://www.7-zip.org/
Posted at 6:20AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Luno
5. James - sounds like a question you fire off to their support team - I don't know. As I reported not too long ago, WinZip was recently acquired by a turnaround specialist and this is their first activity since that announcement.
It may be as simple as not having yet put the licensing module in place with the intent of keeping the beta on aa hard expire timeline.
If you do look into this, please report back what you learn.
Posted at 6:20AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Marc Orchant
7. From the WinZip web site:
WinZip 10.0, when it is released, will not be a free upgrade. If you are a registered user of a previous version of WinZip and install WinZip 10.0, WinZip 10.0 will not be a registered version. ...
Once released, the Standard version of WinZip 10.0 will cost $29.95, WinZip 10.0 Pro will be $49.95. Existing registered single-users will be able to upgrade to WinZip 10.0 Standard for only $14.95 and to WinZip 10.0 Pro for only $24.95.
Posted at 6:20AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Rob Olian
9. WinZip may not be free, but 7-Zip is free (gratis and libre!). 7-Zip offers better compression in its own native .7z format, as well as offering read and write support for .zip, .tar, .cab and others.
See http://www.7-zip.org/
Posted at 6:20AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Luno
11. James - sounds like a question you fire off to their support team - I don't know. As I reported not too long ago, WinZip was recently acquired by a turnaround specialist and this is their first activity since that announcement.
It may be as simple as not having yet put the licensing module in place with the intent of keeping the beta on aa hard expire timeline.
If you do look into this, please report back what you learn.
Posted at 6:20AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Marc Orchant
1. From the WinZip web site:
WinZip 10.0, when it is released, will not be a free upgrade. If you are a registered user of a previous version of WinZip and install WinZip 10.0, WinZip 10.0 will not be a registered version. ...
Once released, the Standard version of WinZip 10.0 will cost $29.95, WinZip 10.0 Pro will be $49.95. Existing registered single-users will be able to upgrade to WinZip 10.0 Standard for only $14.95 and to WinZip 10.0 Pro for only $24.95.
Posted at 6:20AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Rob Olian