It's 2007. Why the heck is file compression still a pain in the ass? Most people have standardized on the Zip file compression format for compressing files, however there are a few out there that feel the need to point out that RAR offers superior compression ratios. Dealing with those two wasn't really that bad, but now we're starting to see newer algorithms that are providing noticeably improved compression ratios.

What to do?

Get yourself a copy of 7-Zip. 7-Zip can unpack RAR, CAB, ISO, ARJ, LZH, CHM, Z, CPIO, RPM, DEB and NSIS files, and can create 7z, ZIP, GZIP, BZIP2 and TAR files (and obviously unpack those as well).

The 7z file format is 7-Zip's claim to fame, with approximately 40% better file compression than a "compatible" zip file, and around 10% better than RAR, the previous file compression champion. 7-Zip's official release is for Windows, but the site links to unofficial Linux and Mac versions.

Now you can start sending your friends and business associates files that they have no idea what to do with! Either that, or you can standardize on the 7z format, and know that your files are smaller than everyone else's. Or you could just use it to create and unpack Zip files and stop trying to be so damn superior.