You have to pay for it for OS X too, however Stuff-it expander is free, but only expands compressed files...

WinRAR was only useful for uncompressing RAR files, which I haven't seen around for a few years now...

Linux/UNIX users should be fine on zipped files, bzip/bzip2 and gzip compressed files by default.

I looked at a sitx and a sit file on OpenSolaris, it just sees it as a data file...Wasn't sure what to do with it

Back in the day, Mac files came in to parts - the resource fork, and the data fork. Compressing the data as a .zip would mess it up as the .zip format would treat each form as a separate file (which, in reality it was). Stuffit would retain the integrity of the file.

These days, Mac files don’t use resource and data forks - files are likely to be either bundles (folders) or flat files. Either way, compressing them using the zip format will not break them, and Windows users can open them with impunity too.

Actually, if the Mac version is anything like the windows shareware version, then you can just continue using it with impunity ad infinitum, so long as you care little about the nag box at every startup of the program.



.rar files are everywhere these days. The best reason for using WinRar I have found is the useful splitting of files feature. Great for large design files that are over the 10MB or 20MB mailbox limits; even when compressed. The best compression mode is very good too (much better than zip compression), and being a Linux user I know that I can get at my .rar format files in that OS too.

WinRAR wins, but please tell me guiRAR for the Mac is not called WinRAR? Shouldn't it be MacRAR?

I think the official version on Linux is still WinRAR; there's a o.s. extractor on Linux which doesn't contain the proprietary code too.

It would be appropriate for an OS codenamed for wild cats.

I'll get me coat.

What a classic
sigged.

There is MacRAR, but there is also WinRAR For Mac.
I use UnRarX, cos I'm pervy like that.

That's exactly right. Postscript Type 1 fonts don't play nicely with Zip, or at least, never used to. Either way, stuffit files are smaller and I don't see it's a big deal for someone to download stuffit expander. That said, I only send artwork as stuffit.

7-zip FTW!!

I think Mac OSX reconstitutes it’s own ZIP files - I know there is meta data stored in the archives which can confuse the non Mac users. Postscript type 1 fonts are text files, but the attendant "Suitcase" type folder would bork. These days, you just need the file, not the other tat which comes along for the ride.