Greetings,
I am Joseph Leung, author of Quick Zip since 1999.
I read your web page related to best archiver today. This is Great, I haven’t seen any comparison of Archivers for a while. I did a comparison before, so I know how much work involved to create such comparison. (so much that I dont willing to keep it up) Thanks you very much for your effort.
I agree many part of your comparison, including the CONS, e.g. Slow archiving speed, Poorly written Help file, I am hoping to fix these problems when I have chance. (as Quick Zip Is not my only product, I am developing qzHtmlLabel.net, and will have to spend time to rewrite my “Archive Folder”)
However there's a number of item that’s not correct:
1. Command line support is available, although very limited (
http://www.quickzip..../viewtopic.php?t=490), we encourage user to use scripting instead of command line.
Aks Scripting is not hard to learn, just go Tools\Backup\Editor\, then Select New\Aks, then you can just double click the command you want and remember to save =). The next time all you need to do is to double click the newly created aks file.
Advanced user may want to automate operation they do everyday (e.g. Archive *.txt in c:\text), scripting allow them to do it.
2. UnRar.Exe is not required for Rar Extraction, All Quick Zip support does not require external packers (except CakExtension).
3. Rar creation support with external program is available too via CAKExtension, as well as Ace, Imp, Rk and Sar archive (C:\Program Files\QuickZip4\Extension\Readme1st.txt). Once setting completed, you can use it like normal archive.
CakExtension is developed to allow Quick Zip to support command line archivers.
4. 7z creation is available.
If I remember right, Quick Zip was the first archiver in the list that offer 7z creation support. (except 7-zip for sure =D)
5. Nonstandard shortcut keys <-- There is no standard keys
as must commands, including Add/Extract is not standard commands (e.g. avaliable in explorer).
6. Inconvience add dialog??
The method of adding a directory (or files) is basically the same (You choose the directory, select the directory/files and press Add).
It may be more complicated if you wish to add files/sub-dir in different directory, as you have to select them and press "Mask selected file(s) to Added List", but hey! This is additional function, you are not required to use it)
If this is still feel complicated you can always drag and drop file into Main screen or "Added List" (in Add screen)
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As you said criteria that's important to one user may not be important to another, in my view, Tools (or functionality) is one important part to make archivers different, (or creating archiver would be as simple as purchasing compilier, archive component (ZipTV), creating only the mainstream functions (NEW/OPEN/ADD/SFX/BATCH archives), honestly, ZipTV may even provide a demo thats look exactly like WinZip ones). I agree the Interface is another important criteria, however a user may prefer one interface, but another user may hate it. Speed is also important, but today computer speed is much faster than before.
It's a bit discouraged to hear as you wonder only about Quick Zip instead of other archivers, don’t worth some 5-star awards (perhaps I misread you, it worth 6 stars? =D). You don’t have to wonder about this, as back in 1999-2000, in freeware world, there was only 2 "Archiver", Power Archiver and Quick Zip, and the rest are Zipware, Lhaware etc.
Quick Zip was the second free archiver that support multiple types of archives beside Zip (Power Archiver is first), multi-extract, batchzip, MMviewer, scripting(aks), hotedit, virtual file list/ folder list (much faster loading are first available in Quick Zip. These inventions makes Quick Zip picked by some sites, as it provided functions that not even available in shareware archiver in those days (
http://www.quickzip....use-pickoftheday.jpg).
The major reason that I developed "Common Archiver Kit Experiment" was because I am not willing to pay 200 dollars for a component, what I wanted is to learn how to develop software, as I knew very little about programming compared with now (
http://www.quickzip....kzip/information.php), I appreciate those people who willing to spend 130 and then 60 dollars per year to produce their high quality freeware product, but please don’t neglect all my effort because of this.
If you using other archiver like ZipGenius / ZipZag / ShellZip / FileHunter etc? you actually using part of my work(CAKE2)! You using batch operation? Archive scripting? Quick Zip users using it 6 years ago! I am proud of this, and that makes me continue improving my product. And the reason why Quick Zip still have users
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Btw, have you tried these features yet?
(1) Integrated virus scan support, even for users without virus scanner installed, scan files whenever files is extracted. Virus signature can be updated. (okay this is JUST a Clam-AV client, written by me)
(2) Archive Finder with database support, which lower search time from hours to seconds. (
http://www.quickzip....advarchivefinder.jpg)
(3) A much more powerful scripting, which can be used in context menu.
(4) Mass renamer, which is a simple tool which enamed/batchzip specified files
(5) Install Builder, which creation Installable SFX using inf.
(6) User can define a number of directories, once you specified you can choose it in almost all operations including open archive.
(7) IE like Bookmarks which support folders.
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Regards
Joseph Leung
