Storage: PKWARE Ships PKZIP 2.50 for DOS; Update to PKZIP Version 2.04g - Product Announcement

Edge: Work-Group Computing Report, April 5, 1999

PKWARE, Inc., Tuesday begins shipping its new DOS based version of the original .ZIP compression utility. PKZIP 2.50 for DOS is an update to the venerable 2.04g DOS version, released in 1993. The DOS version of PKZIP first introduced the .ZIP archive in 1989 and quickly became the world wide standard for flexible and fast archiving and lossless data compression.

PCZIP 2.50 for DOS has a flexible command line interface and still includes three separate executables; PKZIP, PKUNZIP and ZIP2EXE (PKSFX). This is important for power users wanting to automate zipping and unzipping functions within batch files. PKZIP will work on any x86 compatible computer running DOS 2.0 or later. New advanced features in PKZIP 2.50 will use DOS Protected Mode Interface (DPMI) in Windows 95/98, OS/2, and other DPMI supported environments to run 32-bit code for better & faster compression performance.

New capabilities of PKZIP for DOS include full support of Windows 95 or Windows 98 Long File Names (LFNs). Users are no longer limited to DOS 8.3 file names when running in a Windows 95 or Windows 98 command line environment. Users can extract, store and view LFNs inside a .ZIP archive without truncating the filename. Additionally, PKZIP 2.50 increases the file storage limitation from 5,000 to over 16,000 files stored in a single

.ZIP archive. The ability to store more files in a .ZIP archive is a great benefit to anyone doing backup and restore operations using PKZIP. This version also offers full year 2000 compliance, and several new features and performance enhancements.

"Long file name support was the number one feature requested from our users in an update to PKZIP 2.04g," said Phil Katz, president of PKWARE. "Now anyone running from a Windows 95 or 98 command line can work with native long file names and not have to think about truncated 8.3 names any longer."

Registered users, who purchased PKZIP 2.04g for DOS, have two ways to choose from to obtain the upgrade to PKZIP 2.50 for DOS. First, a free 2.04g to PKZIP 2.50 for DOS upgrade patch is available for download from PKWARE's web site at http://www.pkware.com. Or secondly, a 3.5" diskette containing the upgrade patch can be ordered directly from PKWARE's web site. A charge of $6 to cover materials, handling and US Postal Service delivery will be charged for the diskette. The upgrade patch will look for and upgrade only the registered version of PKZIP 2.04g for DOS.

PKZIP is available separately on many software and hardware platforms. For Windows users, there are two different interface versions available. For users who want the point-and-click ease of a graphical user interface (GUI), PKZIP 2.60 for Windows comes bundled with both 16 and 32-bit executables for Windows 3.1x, Windows 9x and Windows NT. For Windows 9x and Windows NT power users, who want the flexibility of a command line interface (CLI), PKZIP 2.50 Command Line for Windows NT/9x is available. Separate 32-bit native versions of PKZIP 2.50 Command Line for Windows NT/9x are available for x86, Alpha or PowerPC systems. Other available PKZIP platforms include OpenVMS for Alpha or VAX, OS/2, and many UNIX platforms.

Pricing and Availability PKZIP 2.50 for DOS is priced at $47 and is available immediately.

You may order direct from PKWARE by calling (414) 354-8699. Additional information is available on the Internet at http://www.pkware.com, by sending email to info@pkware.com or by dialing our BBS at (414) 354-8670.

Founded in 1986, PKWARE develops and markets award-winning compression tools and utilities for both the developer and consumer markets. Its products include PKZIP, PKLITE, PKLITE Professional, PKZFIND/PKZOOM and the PKWARE Data Compression Library products for multiple hardware and software platforms. PKWARE products are also available through a growing network of distributors and retailers in the US and internationally.