When I ask them why, they always say they had downloaded or received a RAR file at some point, which they didn't know what to do with until they looked it up and installed WinRAR to extract them. After that, they learned that RAR was better than ZIP for compressing files, causing them to use that instead of ZIP.
I usually respond with 7-Zip is better than WinRAR in terms of compression, while still being able to extract RAR files, which doesn't always win people over because these are non-technical people that are usually hesitant to install new software unless they actually need to.
None of these people knew each other when they first started using WinRAR, so I think this is actually pretty common.
Edit: with that being said, it probably happens less often now that Windows 11 can natively extract RAR files.
Most of the clippy pfp people won't switch away from WinRAR, just like they won't switch away from Windows 10 no matter how many vulnerabilities it gets
tar has no index for quick lookup, tar extracts in quadratic time, stuff like that. I mean, even zip can extract a 1 MB file in a second from a 5 GB archive, tar needs to extract the whole thing.
No "magic byte" either, making life hard for mime-tooling.
To be fair, it was made for tape backups.
tar lets you just pack files together with no compression at near instant speed
cat does so too. Add a index with metadata and a separator bit between the files and you almost have a tar but better in some areas.
"tar extracts in quadratic time, stuff like that". Is that what your favorite clanker told you? If that's the case, why is uncompressed tar almost instant in practice when others take many seconds? Or compressed tars in the same time neighborhood than any other tool?
Who does "quick lookups" in an arcived file? At most a content listing and then parse/grep whatever you want.
About cat: Sure bud, but go and reconstruct a folder after you cated it.
25 Comments
slazer2au@lemmy.world · 61 pts · 96d
Tldr. Update WinRAR.
Better option, uninstall WinRAR and use something more sensible like 7zip.
cRazi_man@europe.pub · 16 pts · 96d
I'm more of a PeaZip person myself.
kn33@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 96d
I like Nanazip
cRazi_man@europe.pub · 6 pts · 96d
Full list of options....before this turns into a long list of options: https://alternativeto.net/software/winrar/?license=opensource
certified_expert@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 95d
Laughs in
tar.gzpulsewidth@lemmy.world · 12 pts · 96d
I'll just uh.. Leave these here.
https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/cyber-security/wide-ranging-7-zip-vulnerability-with-8-8-cve-rating-allows-for-code-execution-hundreds-of-millions-of-machines-potentially-at-risk
https://cybersecuritynews.com/7-zip-rce-vulnerability-exploited/ (another similar CVE from late last year)
I use 7-zip myself, and have for over a decade, but it too has like.. A major CVE around once every six months - worse than WinRARs record actually.
Its no silver bullet.
slazer2au@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 96d
Not a silver bullet but the functionality of 7zip is far greater then WinRAR.
p03locke@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 5 pts · 95d
Who the fuck still uses WinRAR?
slazer2au@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 95d
Orgs who haven't updated their processes in 20 years and still have a valid license.
Tiral@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 95d
License? I thought the point was to see how high the number went every time you opened it.
slazer2au@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 95d
Until you are a business and you get reamed by legal for using unlicensed software putting the business at legal risk.
yistdaj@pawb.social · 2 pts · 94d
A few people over time have sent me RAR files.
When I ask them why, they always say they had downloaded or received a RAR file at some point, which they didn't know what to do with until they looked it up and installed WinRAR to extract them. After that, they learned that RAR was better than ZIP for compressing files, causing them to use that instead of ZIP.
I usually respond with 7-Zip is better than WinRAR in terms of compression, while still being able to extract RAR files, which doesn't always win people over because these are non-technical people that are usually hesitant to install new software unless they actually need to.
None of these people knew each other when they first started using WinRAR, so I think this is actually pretty common.
Edit: with that being said, it probably happens less often now that Windows 11 can natively extract RAR files.
plutopos@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 92d
The same people who stay on Windows 10 even though it will stop getting security updates: nostalgics
plutopos@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 92d
Most of the clippy pfp people won't switch away from WinRAR, just like they won't switch away from Windows 10 no matter how many vulnerabilities it gets
phoenixz@lemmy.ca · 0 pts · 95d
Better option: move to Linux, also dump rar
betterdeadthanreddit@lemmy.world · 13 pts · 96d
Could have afforded more secure code if anyone had bothered to buy WinRAR instead of clicking through the nag screen every time.
wltr@discuss.tchncs.de · 9 pts · 96d
Why use it in the first place? To me that’s some ‘hi from 2000s’ kind of thing.
myrmidex@belgae.social · 5 pts · 96d
Indeed, I also got a lot of "are you from the past?" vibes
certified_expert@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 95d
Me laughing in
tarMonkderVierte@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 95d
Dumb and inefficient but simple enough to not care about your newfangled "security exploits".
certified_expert@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 95d
Do you have any foundation for your claim?
Dumb is a feature: do one thing and do it well. Inefficient? BS.
Here a qick comparison
MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 95d
tar has no index for quick lookup, tar extracts in quadratic time, stuff like that. I mean, even zip can extract a 1 MB file in a second from a 5 GB archive, tar needs to extract the whole thing.
No "magic byte" either, making life hard for mime-tooling.
To be fair, it was made for tape backups.
catdoes so too. Add a index with metadata and a separator bit between the files and you almost have a tar but better in some areas.certified_expert@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 95d
"tar extracts in quadratic time, stuff like that". Is that what your favorite clanker told you? If that's the case, why is uncompressed tar almost instant in practice when others take many seconds? Or compressed tars in the same time neighborhood than any other tool?
Who does "quick lookups" in an arcived file? At most a content listing and then parse/grep whatever you want.
About cat: Sure bud, but go and reconstruct a folder after you cated it.
pineapplelover@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 1 pts · 95d
Bruh we use winrar at work
Edit: it wasn't my decision
phoenixz@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 95d
Here is how you protect yourself
Don't use tar
Don't use windows
Done.