Existing users, 
I ran it through a few tests, and although a bit slow, it compares favorably to .sitx, .zip, and .dmg.
But if I archive all my data using 7zX, how do I know the format will still be around in 5-10 years? I'd hate to end up with a catalog of 7zX DVDs and no way to decode them!
I've even stopped using .sitx for this very reason. zip and dmg aren't going anywhere, I KNOW that because both are supported by Apple, and in the case of zip, by just about everyone. But .sitx? It's compression ratio is superior to the others, but what if in a few years I'm on my 12.5 GHz MacIntel running OS XIV, and Stuffit is no longer available?
7zX
file archiver with high compression ratio
Version: 1.7.1
Longevity?
Feedback Type: Commentary
Contributed by: Central Scrutinizer--2008 Tuesday, May 30 2006 @ 08:37 PM PDT
Product Platform: MacOSX
Used Product For: Less than a month
Recommend Product: NO
Comments
and not quite Mac friendly - kyngchaos1
It's not really made for everyday Mac use:- It doesn't preserve file permissions.
- I don't think it handles Mac resource forks. Resource forks are still around and probably won't go away for a while.
- Then there's the newer metadata/extended attributes of Tiger. I don't think it does that either.
Wednesday, July 12 2006 @ 09:52 PM PDT
and not quite Mac friendly - kyngchaos1
It's not really made for everyday Mac use:- It doesn't preserve file permissions.
- I don't think it handles Mac resource forks. Resource forks are still around and probably won't go away for a while.
- Then there's the newer metadata/extended attributes of Tiger. I don't think it does that either.
Wednesday, July 12 2006 @ 09:56 PM PDT
Longevity? - jspectre
regardless of wheither or not you're going to use it 7z is picking up popularity in the PC and unix world.. so if you want to remain cross-platform, it's not bad to have. considering it's also free, who cares?i can still open up .cpt (compactor, remember that?) files and even .Z (compress, from unix, 30 or so years old). i doubt you'll have any trouble opening these files in 10 yrs...
Thursday, July 13 2006 @ 02:45 PM PDT
Longevity? - jspectre
regardless of wheither or not you're going to use it 7z is picking up popularity in the PC and unix world.. so if you want to remain cross-platform, it's not bad to have. considering it's also free, who cares?i can still open up .cpt (compactor, remember that?) files and even .Z (compress, from unix, 30 or so years old). i doubt you'll have any trouble opening these files in 10 yrs...
Thursday, July 13 2006 @ 02:58 PM PDT
Longevity? - jspectre
regardless of wheither or not you're going to use it 7z is picking up popularity in the PC and unix world.. so if you want to remain cross-platform, it's not bad to have. considering it's also free, who cares?i can still open up .cpt (compactor, remember that?) files and even .Z (compress, from unix, 30 or so years old). i doubt you'll have any trouble opening these files in 10 yrs...
Thursday, July 13 2006 @ 03:00 PM PDT
Longevity? - jspectre
regardless of wheither or not you're going to use it 7z is picking up popularity in the PC and unix world.. so if you want to remain cross-platform, it's not bad to have. considering it's also free, who cares?i can still open up .cpt (compactor, remember that?) files and even .Z (compress, from unix, 30 or so years old). i doubt you'll have any trouble opening these files in 10 yrs...
Thursday, July 13 2006 @ 03:01 PM PDT
Longevity? - mattblackman
I've been using Stuffit for 18 years. It's gone from shareware to commercial, survived the PPC transition, survived the OSX transition, survived the Intel transition, and survived 2 further commercial acquisitions. It's also grown from a Mac-only to a cross-platform program. SmithMicro (the latest owner) is now creating "Stuffit"-branded solutions for digital cameras and mobile phones. All in all, I'm pretty confident that the format will be around for a while longer.Of course, you may have some inside info on SmithMicro- is there any reason for us to believe that the product is now in trouble? Even if the Mac version were to be dropped at some point, we'd be able to run the Windows version with Parallels or one of the WINE-based solutions...
Tuesday, October 31 2006 @ 02:06 AM PST
Longevity? - Cattus Thraex
Well, good note indeed. This is valid for other apps too. Note that Pages does NOT open older Claris files up to v. 5.x, so you must go through AppleWorks first, save as v. 6, then open in Pages.Reply to This
Tuesday, May 30 2006 @ 10:18 PM PDT