Yeah, but it was a poster child for nagware. Edit to be fair so did WinRAR, but that sweet sweet compression and multi-volume splitting made it the best tool for those sailing a jolly roger on those slow, stormy seas...
That's absolutely hilarious. All the times I've either patched Winrar or ignored the 40 day subscription nagging did not matter for their bottom line at all.
All the times I've either patched Winrar or ignored the 40 day subscription nagging did not matter for their bottom line at all.
You individually? No. But RARLAB aren't saps; the "40-day limit"(TM) transforms their software from nagware into something valuable the user is "getting away with". If one or two stray consumers happen to purchase a license based off of that, then excellent. The real kicker, though, is that a culture where everyone uses WinRAR for creating and extracting archives is one where they can push a ton of business licenses – one of the main reasons e.g. Microsoft will often provide Office to universities at steep discounts. By using WinRAR, you act as a brick in the wall of WinRAR's (thankfully waning) hegemony, even just by giving it word-of-mouth or not using competing software.
They want you to feel like you're getting more value than you are out of a product that is near-strictly inferior to free and open-source software with a public domain compression algorithm like 7-Zip. This has been common knowledge for over a decade.
How is 7-Zip superior to Winrar? Every time I tried using 7-Zip it felt a little... weird to use, plus every RAR file I tried to use with it was a pain in the ass. But then again the last time I used it was like... uh, 14 years ago?
That's not directed at you, but RAR archives are so inconvinient to deal with I'm surprised to even see one in the wild. ZIPs may be created and opened by most file managers nowadays, and it's not so much to compress files with modern bandwidht, but to collect multiple files as one package. The RAR formar times are seemingly almost over.
rar and 7-zip are both compression formats as well as applications, so it can help to not get them confused. 7-zip as a compression format is simply more advanced and better than rar, which should be expected as it's a newer format.
As for the software used to interact with the compressed archives, the official 7-zip client isn't as streamlined and as nice as WinRAR, but it is open source and cross platform. And it's not the only option, there are other applications that can be used to open 7-zip files (maybe WinRAR can even do it). Nanazip is a nice option that I'm currently using on Windows. But it's ultimately a personal decision and comes down to whatever you prefer.
Windows got market power because they took the term "Personal Computer" seriously. It was yours, and you could put what you wanted on it. They are now heading down Apples path of proprietry ownership, without Apples flair.
Loving Linux Mint atm. Maybe it'll help me get more adventurous with other distros?
Kinda like a rich person saying "You have more money than I do because you only have $100k in debt" to a normal person because they have a $2 million dollar loan for a house, but only have $500k in easily liquidated assets.
Yes? They don't care it's an infinite money glitch where big corporations pretend that they are in a growth phase and give each other money by using shares that they can print at will.
Maybe ChatGPT should get one of those super annoying nag messages to get you to pay up like WinRAR used to have. That ought to rake in the many billions they need... right?
Setting a pile of money on fire is more profitable then openai. Like you can not physically shovel enough to come close to even a tiny amount of what openai goes though.
Sort of? Google and YT (which was google soon enough) had something called a “business plan” where they grew after they got new business - enough to “justify” growth.
Also, it was easy to see how they could turn a profit and how the pricing would work, which made it like every other business in the world.
With open AI, they set a price based on “feels” and it’s far too low to pay for the computing costs. Then they offered it free to everyone. And they only burn money, there’s not enough money coming in to pay anyone.
Also the fact people in general who aren't right wingers who would be fascinated by flashing lights absolutely hate AI and the way it's being shoved into everything.
The thing is... uh... NO ONE LIKES AI. Regular people don't like when a technology is shoved in their face over and over and over without their consent so they're forced to use it. Google and Youtube were actually compelling things for the consumer and had real world usage. AI has very little actual real world usage because it's a text prediction algorithm that does not do anything that other things today wouldn't be able to.
The only people that like AI are TESCREAL-supporting billionaires who genuinely think LLMs will achieve AGI and thus replace humanity (refer to this video to know how absolutely INSANE those idiots are) and their right wing simps. Pretty much everyone in the creative, educational, and programming field that have actual coding experience hate it because it's literally making people dumber AND taking away jobs from artists AND creating programmers with no actual coding experience.
I agree with most those things. But it's not only tech billionaires and right wing. This here is an echochamber of AI hate (which I'm a part of), and that is fine. A lot of people in a lot of countries are using it for a lot of different things. It doesn't matter how much it works, if it did a lot of products wouldn't be on the market today.
The business strategy and politics is what matters in the end. Even to a bubble.
No, this is not a car vs horse thing. It's more like trying to replace a horse with a car that randomly steers off the road in the opposite direction AND explodes if you sneeze on it.
Yeah? First, it hasn't been that long. Second, I'm not vibing when I do real work. I'm being very targeted and reviewing and preventing slop. When used this way, it's not that different from using Stack Overflow.
They are making money, they just burn a lot more money (tens of billions of usd a year) and they don't even plan on becoming profitable till 2030, which is insane for almost any other non-ai bubble or gov. funded company on the planet.
71 Comments
the_riviera_kid@lemmy.world · 197 pts · 194d
Thats because winrar is useful.
rafoix@lemmy.zip · 53 pts · 194d
It’s is not useful. It is fucking great.
ayyy@sh.itjust.works · 49 pts · 194d
Wait till you learn about 7zip…
Joeffect@lemmy.world · 16 pts · 194d
7zip didn't exist when winrar was released... im pretty sure anyway...
nimble@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 43 pts · 194d
Joeffect@lemmy.world · 13 pts · 194d
Yeah there was a time when winrar was basically the best option for zip files it made it easy...
clucose@lemmy.ml · 7 pts · 194d
There was Winzip before.
ByteJunk@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 194d
Yeah, but it was a poster child for nagware. Edit to be fair so did WinRAR, but that sweet sweet compression and multi-volume splitting made it the best tool for those sailing a jolly roger on those slow, stormy seas...
Fizz@lemmy.nz · 7 pts · 192d
Its kind of shit and always has been. Winrar love is pure nostalgia.
Its icon is good I will admit that.
SalamenceFury@piefed.social · 52 pts · 194d
That's absolutely hilarious. All the times I've either patched Winrar or ignored the 40 day subscription nagging did not matter for their bottom line at all.
TheTechnician27@lemmy.world · 68 pts · 194d
You individually? No. But RARLAB aren't saps; the "40-day limit"(TM) transforms their software from nagware into something valuable the user is "getting away with". If one or two stray consumers happen to purchase a license based off of that, then excellent. The real kicker, though, is that a culture where everyone uses WinRAR for creating and extracting archives is one where they can push a ton of business licenses – one of the main reasons e.g. Microsoft will often provide Office to universities at steep discounts. By using WinRAR, you act as a brick in the wall of WinRAR's (thankfully waning) hegemony, even just by giving it word-of-mouth or not using competing software.
They want you to feel like you're getting more value than you are out of a product that is near-strictly inferior to free and open-source software with a public domain compression algorithm like 7-Zip. This has been common knowledge for over a decade.
Azrael@feddit.org · 18 pts · 194d
4.83 Million USD is quite a lot.
Th3D3k0y@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 194d
I wonder if Berlin Berlin is different than Berlin Germany
mech@feddit.org · 15 pts · 194d
It's the city of Berlin in the state of Berlin (similar to New York City, NY).
The country Germany consists of 16 states.
Th3D3k0y@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 194d
I did not know that about Berlin. Thanks for the info
hakunawazo@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 194d
It's called Stadtstaaten (city states) and there are 3 of them (of the 16 states altogether).
Hawke@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 192d
!subscribe BerlinFacts
SalamenceFury@piefed.social · 4 pts · 194d
How is 7-Zip superior to Winrar? Every time I tried using 7-Zip it felt a little... weird to use, plus every RAR file I tried to use with it was a pain in the ass. But then again the last time I used it was like... uh, 14 years ago?
tyler@programming.dev · 38 pts · 194d
It’s faster, has more algorithms, you can choose your compression type. It’s also been standard as the choice for at least a decade now.
https://www.xda-developers.com/reasons-to-use-7-zip-over-winrar/
altkey@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 9 pts · 194d
That's not directed at you, but RAR archives are so inconvinient to deal with I'm surprised to even see one in the wild. ZIPs may be created and opened by most file managers nowadays, and it's not so much to compress files with modern bandwidht, but to collect multiple files as one package. The RAR formar times are seemingly almost over.
Zarxrax@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 194d
rar and 7-zip are both compression formats as well as applications, so it can help to not get them confused. 7-zip as a compression format is simply more advanced and better than rar, which should be expected as it's a newer format.
As for the software used to interact with the compressed archives, the official 7-zip client isn't as streamlined and as nice as WinRAR, but it is open source and cross platform. And it's not the only option, there are other applications that can be used to open 7-zip files (maybe WinRAR can even do it). Nanazip is a nice option that I'm currently using on Windows. But it's ultimately a personal decision and comes down to whatever you prefer.
W98BSoD@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 6 pts · 192d
ephrin@sh.itjust.works · 32 pts · 194d
The poop in my pants makes more money than OpenAI
Caesium@lemmy.world · 14 pts · 194d
apparently fecal donors can get 500 bucks per shit
Tigeroovy@lemmy.ca · 27 pts · 194d
More useful too.
dejected_warp_core@lemmy.world · 16 pts · 192d
There are lemonade stands making more money than OpenAI. Right now. In January. In sub-freezing weather.
Kolanaki@pawb.social · 5 pts · 192d
Ice cold lemonade is really good.
GreenKnight23@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 192d
and doesn't kill the planet or support fascism!
W98BSoD@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 13 pts · 192d
Matty_r@programming.dev · 3 pts · 192d
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lX_pF03vCSU
FreddiesLantern@leminal.space · 13 pts · 194d
Ah man that takes me back,….to when windows was somewhat useable.
TomArrr@lemmy.world · 14 pts · 194d
Windows got market power because they took the term "Personal Computer" seriously. It was yours, and you could put what you wanted on it. They are now heading down Apples path of proprietry ownership, without Apples flair.
Loving Linux Mint atm. Maybe it'll help me get more adventurous with other distros?
fleton@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 192d
Distro hoping is quite fun. Load up a vm or have a test ssd and play around
melfie@lemy.lol · 2 pts · 192d
FreddiesLantern@leminal.space · 2 pts · 193d
You probably will. And it’s a lot of fun.
Reygle@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 194d
I am also very old
greybeard@feddit.online · 13 pts · 193d
Kinda like a rich person saying "You have more money than I do because you only have $100k in debt" to a normal person because they have a $2 million dollar loan for a house, but only have $500k in easily liquidated assets.
nesc@lemmy.cafe · 12 pts · 194d
Yes? They don't care it's an infinite money glitch where big corporations pretend that they are in a growth phase and give each other money by using shares that they can print at will.
BeigeAgenda@lemmy.ca · 10 pts · 194d
Then I'll hurry up and buy some WinRAR stocks!
jlow@discuss.tchncs.de · 9 pts · 193d
https://www.pcmag.com/news/hackers-still-exploiting-winrar-flaw-fix-released-6-months-ago
zod000@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 9 pts · 194d
Maybe ChatGPT should get one of those super annoying nag messages to get you to pay up like WinRAR used to have. That ought to rake in the many billions they need... right?
M0oP0o@mander.xyz · 9 pts · 192d
Setting a pile of money on fire is more profitable then openai. Like you can not physically shovel enough to come close to even a tiny amount of what openai goes though.
ch00f@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 194d
I want to know what unprofitable businesses are still more profitable than WinRAR.
Bytemeister@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 193d
Absolutely brutal. I love it.
JBPinkle@bookwyr.me · 4 pts · 194d
Are winrar memes the champion as far as long-lived memes? I think it might be the longest running internet meme I can think of.
gustofwind@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 194d
profitable for whom?
Puddinghelmet@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 192d
I want that WinRAR bag
humanspiral@lemmy.ca · 3 pts · 194d
All humans, whether homeless or famined African, are more profitable than Open AI
MooseWinooski@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 194d
Username checks out
CodenameDarlen@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 194d
jaredwhite@humansare.social · 41 pts · 194d
It costs vastly more money to run OpenAI than it does any gross income they're receiving.
danekrae@lemmy.world · -3 pts · 194d
It was the same for google and youtube for a long time.
They need to get people/businesses addicted to it first.
Edit: Does this comment make it seem like I like AI? Am I wrong about Google and YT's business strategy?
homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world · 16 pts · 194d
Sort of? Google and YT (which was google soon enough) had something called a “business plan” where they grew after they got new business - enough to “justify” growth.
Also, it was easy to see how they could turn a profit and how the pricing would work, which made it like every other business in the world.
With open AI, they set a price based on “feels” and it’s far too low to pay for the computing costs. Then they offered it free to everyone. And they only burn money, there’s not enough money coming in to pay anyone.
SalamenceFury@piefed.social · 6 pts · 194d
Also the fact people in general who aren't right wingers who would be fascinated by flashing lights absolutely hate AI and the way it's being shoved into everything.
zaphodbeeblebex@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 194d
we have a whole push about it at work. i just uninstalled copilot anyway. it feels like cheating (i don't fucking care, fuck ai)
SalamenceFury@piefed.social · 4 pts · 194d
Not even like cheating - it's like cheating but half of the answers are wrong.
SalamenceFury@piefed.social · 4 pts · 194d
The thing is... uh... NO ONE LIKES AI. Regular people don't like when a technology is shoved in their face over and over and over without their consent so they're forced to use it. Google and Youtube were actually compelling things for the consumer and had real world usage. AI has very little actual real world usage because it's a text prediction algorithm that does not do anything that other things today wouldn't be able to.
The only people that like AI are TESCREAL-supporting billionaires who genuinely think LLMs will achieve AGI and thus replace humanity (refer to this video to know how absolutely INSANE those idiots are) and their right wing simps. Pretty much everyone in the creative, educational, and programming field that have actual coding experience hate it because it's literally making people dumber AND taking away jobs from artists AND creating programmers with no actual coding experience.
danekrae@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 194d
I agree with most those things. But it's not only tech billionaires and right wing. This here is an echochamber of AI hate (which I'm a part of), and that is fine. A lot of people in a lot of countries are using it for a lot of different things. It doesn't matter how much it works, if it did a lot of products wouldn't be on the market today.
The business strategy and politics is what matters in the end. Even to a bubble.
Serinus@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 194d
AI is absolutely useful. Speaking as a developer, it has definitely changed my profession.
This is more like the dotcom bubble. There's a seed of truth in there, but it's buried in overhype, nonsense, and chaff.
jaredwhite@humansare.social · 2 pts · 194d
Many developers do not use any "AI" and continue to write code by hand.
Serinus@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 194d
Many drivers refuse cars and still use horse and buggy.
SalamenceFury@piefed.social · 3 pts · 193d
No, this is not a car vs horse thing. It's more like trying to replace a horse with a car that randomly steers off the road in the opposite direction AND explodes if you sneeze on it.
jaredwhite@humansare.social · 2 pts · 193d
I'm so surprised, because I've never heard anyone ever use that analogy before ever. 🙃
SalamenceFury@piefed.social · 1 pts · 194d
Can you program without any LLM now, tho?
Serinus@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 194d
Yeah? First, it hasn't been that long. Second, I'm not vibing when I do real work. I'm being very targeted and reviewing and preventing slop. When used this way, it's not that different from using Stack Overflow.
red_tomato@lemmy.world · 14 pts · 194d
https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/big-tech/openai-could-reportedly-run-out-of-cash-by-mid-2027-nyt-analyst-paints-grim-picture-after-examining-companys-finances
There’s this report circling around indicating that OpenAI is about to run out of money. AI is not profitable, and it’s uncertain it ever will be.
Canconda@lemmy.ca · 6 pts · 194d
It's a ball and cup game. IIRC Nvidia is investing a bunch in Open AI, but Open AI is their biggest customer kind of idea.
Get_Off_My_WLAN@fedia.io · 6 pts · 194d
If you have the time (an hour to read) or interest, Ed Zitron explains it fairly well.
nesc@lemmy.cafe · 2 pts · 193d
They are making money, they just burn a lot more money (tens of billions of usd a year) and they don't even plan on becoming profitable till 2030, which is insane for almost any other non-ai bubble or gov. funded company on the planet.
kraxla@piefed.social · -1 pts · 48d
You praise the epitome of all the negatives with capitalisn that is closed source sodtware to put down one of the most important Firms on the planet?
Pure self own.