The company behind WinRAR says it is surprised by the announcement that Windows 11 will now support .rar files. Native support for these had been lacking for thirty years, giving WinRAR cult status as a software alternative.
Last week, Microsoft announced at its own Build conference that Windows 11 will finally support rar, gz and tar files. These archive formats compress data so they can be sent across the Internet with ease.
Concerned
Speaking to Neowin, WinRAR let it be known that the company is “honoured” by Microsoft’s decision. It is hoped that adoption will increase the popularity of rar compression. That will ultimately preserve WinRAR’s right to exist, since users never had to use the application to open rar files exclusively. However, according to WinRAR, it will still be necessary to create rar files.
However, WinRAR also tweeted a meme making fun of the concerns it, too, expresses in the letter to Neowin. Namely, the development would present both “challenges and benefits” to the running of WinRAR. The concerns stem from the fact that it is a small company while Microsoft is a tech giant of considerable power. It hopes users will still continue to support the service.
WinRAR’s revenue model is an interesting one, as it officially offers only a 40-day trial period after which it asks for payment. However, this is a wash as it is easy to click away. The notification keeps appearing, but it can be turned off completely with some easy-to-find plugins. Alternatively, one can choose to actually support the company that has helped provide rar support for so long.
15 hours ago
