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Extend a File Compression Software

Building a worthy 7Zip and WinRAR competitor

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Extend a File Compression Software

Extend a File Compression Software

Extend a File Compression Software

Extend a File Compression Software

Extend a File Compression Software

Building a worthy 7Zip and WinRAR competitor

Building a worthy 7Zip and WinRAR competitor

Building a worthy 7Zip and WinRAR competitor

Building a worthy 7Zip and WinRAR competitor

Philipp Elhaus
Philipp Elhaus
Philipp Elhaus
Philipp Elhaus
2 Campaigns |
Stuttgart, Germany
$115 USD 11 backers
5% of $2,000 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal
Highlights
Mountain Filled 2 Projects Mountain Filled 2 Projects

Short Summary

My name is Philipp and im currently developing a file compression utility called "BulkZip", located @ http://www.bulkzip.com. I'm a certified Project Manager with an academic background in technology and economics. 

I'm currently working fulltime in a niche that has been, for the last 10 years, deemed non-innovative, over-saturated and flooded by masses of free competition that is sometimes even better than the paid one. It can't get any worse but i like a challenge. Aside from this, i am working on a simplified Theory of Everything - Both have lots of math and logic, i like that stuff. 

I want to be able to continously focus on the development of the product. It has recently achieved a stable and reliable build and received a couple of thumbs up here and there. We did some giveaways at sharewareonsale.com and giveawayofhteday.com. It's free to download and you can check it out yourself right now @ http://download.bulkzip.com (7MB, 32Bit/64Bit).

There is also a full product data sheet available @ http://www.bulkzip.com/pdf/product_sheet.pdf describing, what is existing already. I think its good to show you that me and my team get things done and accomplished.

Behind the project is the drive for perfection.  I was also very dissatsified with the existing products and came to project my own solution towards an optimum file compression and archiving tool. Here is a small video on BulkZip:


... and here are some screenshots:


The Plan

With the money raised, i want to extend BulkZip in a way, that it is not only stronger in the horizontal (=support of more file formats), but also in the vertical (=compression related features). 

Extend it in the horizontal

I want to add first and foremost read/extract support for around ~55 exotic formats. We already support the extraction of 35 file formats and would then support in total a stunning 90 file formats - something no archiver ever managed to do. PeaZip claims to support 150+ formats, but that is a vastly inflated number as they count reading Microsoft Word files and others that are not really compressors in a more closer sense. They also count extensions double, e.g. GZ and TAR.GZ; so their claim is not serious. I'am serious about that file format support. My aim is to effectivly abolish all these other archivers like WinRAR, 7Zip and WinZip and to create that one very tailored tool that has it all and that everybody deems the best software in the niche. These 55 "new" formats are mainly old, exotic and cross-application file types like Amiga, ROM/Chip Formats, CD/DVD formats coming from thr MS-DOS era, are System/Disk Drive related or from the old Usenet days. It's not easy to implement them, as many are nearly dead or specialist for them are very rare. We have a sophisticated C# interface that allows us quick and easy integration of a format once we have access to a source or command line tool. It is nearly independent on the initial coding language. In terms of copyright, proprietary format holders are required by EU and US law to give way to the distribution of a limited access solution for their file format. That covers exactly what we want to do (Read/Extract). 
We did research on the top 30 file archivers and compressors (WinRAR, BandiZip, IZArc, WinZip etc.) and figured that eventually each of them supports 1-3 of these exotic formats, but none does all. We want to make it easy and that a user can access every file, no matter how rare its type is:

  • .A (Unix Archive)
  • .ALZ (AlZip's format)
  • .ADF / .ADZ (Amiga Disk File)
  • .ARCHIVER
  • .APK (Android Package)
  • .APM
  • .B1 (B1 Free Archiver)
  • .BALZ
  • .B64 (Base 64 MIME)
  • .BH (BlackHole Format)
  • .BZA
  • .CB7 / .CBA / .CBR / .CBT / .CBZ
  • .C2D (CD Image)
  • .CDI (CD/DVD Format)
  • .CFS (Compact File Set )
  • .CPIO (Linux)
  • .CPT (Compact Pro)
  • .DAR (Disk Archiver)
  • .DD (Disc Doubler)
  • .DCS (Amiga Format)
  • .DGC (2001 Japanese Format)
  • .DEB (Linux/Debian Package)
  • .DMS (Amiga Format)
  • .ENC
  • .EGG (ALZIP's own format)
  • .F (Amiga Format)
  • .FAT (System related)
  • .GCA
  • .GZA
  • .HQX (Binhex)
  • .HKI (WinHKI Format)
  • .HA
  • .HFS
  • .HXS
  • .J2J
  • .KGB (KGB Archiver's format)
  • .KMZ (Google Earth Archive)
  • .IZE
  • .IMP (DVD)
  • .IPA (Apple iOS)
  • .ISZ (Disk Image)
  • .ICE
  • .LBR (1980's Unix Archiving)
  • .LCD
  • .LZO (Liv-Zempel-Oberhumer)
  • .LZX (Amiga Format)
  • .MBF
  • .MBR (System related)
  • .MDF (DVD)
  • .MIM
  • .MSI (Installer)
  • .MSLZ
  • .NTFS (System related)
  • .NRG (Disc Image)
  • .NSIS (Installer)
  • .PAK
  • .PAX
  • .PDI (Disc Image)
  • .PEA (PeaZip's format)
  • .PK1/2/3 (Quake Archive)
  • .PKD (Amiga PackDev)
  • .PMA
  • .RPM (Linux Redhat Package)
  • .SIT/.SITX (StuffIt's format)
  • .SQX
  • .SquashFS (ROM writing)
  • .UDF (CD/DVD Format)
  • .UU
  • .VHD (Virtual HardDisk)
  • .XMS (Amiga xMash)
  • .XPI (Mozilla Archive)
  • .XAR (eXtensible ARchive format)
  • .XXE
  • .YZ1 (Popular in asia around 1990)
  • .ZOO (1990's era format)
  • .ZOM (Amiga Zoom)


Extend it in the vertical

The Features we want to implement: 
In addition to that, we want to add the most useful and requested file archiver features. We've scouted, as mentioned above, the competition very intense. As a result of this, our product backlog is now filled with these:
  • Benchmark (As seen in 7z) 
  • Search in Archive(s) (As seen in IZArc)
  • Multi Extraction Tool (As seen in PowerArchiver)
  • Batch Compress Tool (As seen in PowerArchiver)
  • Advanced Report (As seen in WinRAR)
  • Re-compression (As seen in FreeArc)
  • Advanced Error Reporting (We want to achieve a 100% error free product)
  • Left-Side File Browser/Dual-Panel
  • In-App Tabs (As seen with RK Archiver)
To not impend any patents or violate copyrights, we would orientate on the existing solutions, but integrate them in a way, that its after all better done as in their original.

Internal & Technical Stuff:
  • Improved and format tailored file sorting for faster compression/decompression
Take a look at this video to understand the impact of file sorting:

  • Normalization Phase before Compression
  • Process Priority Selector (As seen with WinAce)
  • Select/De-Select by Type (As seen with 7z)
  • Background & Pause Option (As seen with 7z)
  • Updated Extraction and Compression Interface
  • Precise Prognosis (As seen with WinRAR)
  • Multi-Core Support
Here's a partial view on the planned roadmap so far:


The Impact

In the long run we want to build a well balanced product that is regarded as "the best" in multiple criteria regarding speed, strength, usability and feature density. We want that the recognition of the saying "to RAR" or "to ZIP" something, gets slowly associated with our tool. It's not impossible, but it will take at least a few years from now on. If we get the proper funding (we do not require that much) we will  make it happen.


Risks & Challenges

We have the typical risk of software development: Incompatibilities, need for reverse engineering, bugs, bugs, bugs. Currently the challenge is money to buy food and pay for shelter. There is a likelyhood that we might completely fail, but that is eventually in everything there is.


Other Ways You Can Help

Download our software and use it. We build it for you! 

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Choose your Perk

Full License 7.x

$5 USD
Full and unrestricted license to the current standard 7.x license of BulkZip. Costs on our site or in a shop 10,- ; here you get it for 5,-.
Estimated Shipping
September 2015
1 claimed
Ships worldwide.

Full License 7.x + 8.x

$10 USD
You get a full license, valid for 7.x and the coming 8.x ; worth 2 x 10,- , for only 10,- USD. Unrestricted with full support.
Estimated Shipping
September 2016
7 claimed

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