- WinZip was created by a company called WinZip Computing in the 1990s. Originally, it's primary use was to decompress shareware files available on the Internet. The name of the utility that decompressed the files was called PKZip. In the mid-1990s, WinZip merged the PKZip utility into the program that compresses files, eliminating the need for PKZip. Thus, the current versions of WinZip can compress or decompress existing files. There is no longer a need for separate programs.
- One of the main benefits of using WinZip is convenience of storage. With WinZip, you can compress files that you do not use often. Compressing files in this way is often referred to as creating an "archive." The archived files will take up less space on your computer, making you able to use more of your hard drive space for programs and files you do use often. Emailing attachments is also much easier because of WinZip. If you wanted to email several files to someone, you could "zip" all of the files into one. Not only will this make your email attachment smaller, but the person you are sending to will also not be required to download multiple files. Instead, he will download the one archive file.
- WinZip allows you to "zip" or "unzip" a file. Zipping a file refers to compressing a file to make it smaller. Unzipping refers to decompressing the file back into its original state. In addition, you can add new files to an existing archive. WinZip also allows you to burn an archive directly to CD or DVD.
- It is important to note that WinZip is not a free program. The file is distributed as shareware and it is not to be used after 45 days unless purchased. Some versions of WinZip will continue to operate after the 45 days have passed, although the program will be delayed for several seconds before opening to warn the user that his or her trial period has expired.
- The effects of WinZip are far reaching. File compression has changed the way people send digital files, and WinZip was at the helm of these changes. Picture files are smaller and download quicker because of compression. MP3 music files were made possible by compression. WinZip and other file compression utilities have made using the Internet faster and more efficient.
