ARJ
Encyclopedia
ARJ is a software tool designed by Robert K. Jung for creating high-efficiency compressed file
archives. ARJ is currently on version 2.85 for DOS and 3.15 for Windows and supports 16-bit and 32-bit Intel architectures.
ARJhttp://www.arjsoftware.com/ was one of two mainstream archivers for DOS
and Windows
during early and mid-90s, with PKZIP
being its competition. Parts of ARJ were covered by . Generally ARJ was less popular than PKZIP, but it did enjoy a niche market during the BBS
era and in the warez
scene. This was largely due to ARJ's creation and handling of multi-volume archives (archives which are split into smaller files which are then suitable for dial-up transfers and floppy
distribution) being more robust than PKZIP's.
In recent times, other alternatives to the ZIP archive, such as WinRAR
have surpassed ARJ in market share; the lack of an official graphical version may have contributed to ARJ's decline.
Data compression
In computer science and information theory, data compression, source coding or bit-rate reduction is the process of encoding information using fewer bits than the original representation would use....
archives. ARJ is currently on version 2.85 for DOS and 3.15 for Windows and supports 16-bit and 32-bit Intel architectures.
ARJhttp://www.arjsoftware.com/ was one of two mainstream archivers for DOS
DOS
DOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
and Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
during early and mid-90s, with PKZIP
PKZIP
PKZIP is an archiving tool originally written by Phil Katz and marketed by his company PKWARE, Inc. The common "PK" prefix used in both PKZIP and PKWARE stands for "Phil Katz".-History:...
being its competition. Parts of ARJ were covered by . Generally ARJ was less popular than PKZIP, but it did enjoy a niche market during the BBS
Bulletin board system
A Bulletin Board System, or BBS, is a computer system running software that allows users to connect and log in to the system using a terminal program. Once logged in, a user can perform functions such as uploading and downloading software and data, reading news and bulletins, and exchanging...
era and in the warez
Warez
Warez refers primarily to copyrighted works distributed without fees or royalties, and may be traded, in general violation of copyright law. The term generally refers to unauthorized releases by organized groups, as opposed to file sharing between friends or large groups of people with similar...
scene. This was largely due to ARJ's creation and handling of multi-volume archives (archives which are split into smaller files which are then suitable for dial-up transfers and floppy
Floppy disk
A floppy disk is a disk storage medium composed of a disk of thin and flexible magnetic storage medium, sealed in a rectangular plastic carrier lined with fabric that removes dust particles...
distribution) being more robust than PKZIP's.
In recent times, other alternatives to the ZIP archive, such as WinRAR
WinRAR
WinRAR is a shareware file archiver and data compression utility developed by Eugene Roshal, and first released in autumn of 1993. It is one of the few applications that is able to create RAR archives natively, because the encoding method is held to be proprietary.-Developer:The current developer...
have surpassed ARJ in market share; the lack of an official graphical version may have contributed to ARJ's decline.
See also
- JARJAR (software)JAR is a tool for creating compressed file archives. It was invented by Robert K. Jung and was meant to be a successor to ARJ. It can achieve very good compression, but is not in wide use. JAR should not be confused with the .jar file extension used for Java Archive files, which are actually zip...
, an archiver by the same author - List of archive formats
- List of file archivers
- Comparison of file archiversComparison of file archiversThe following tables compare general and technical information for a number of file archivers. Please see the individual products' articles for further information. They are neither all-inclusive nor are some entries necessarily up to date...