PKZip 1.x

System

PKZip 1.x

Pkzip is the most common archiver for MS-DOS based systems. It implements a an open compression method and is much faster than other archivers of its time.

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02k-guy

PKZIP 1.1 looks to be the "export version for EU". This build contains PKZIP.EXE /without/ encryption.

A quick compare between the linked files below will reveal:

US version
http://cd.textfiles.com/rbbsv3n1/pool/pkz110.exe

Export version
http://cd.textfiles.com/simtel/simtel9211/msdos/zip/pkz110eu.exe

I stumbled on this while doing diffs on the various packages I'd collected, and then this page set me right:
http://fileformats.archiveteam.org/wiki/ZIP

02k-guy

I know, I know - I'm really going deep on this one - but hey, someone else did too. Turns out (as expected) that many BBS/Sysops made alterations to the original PKZIP distribution of 1.10.

Discussion:
https://entropymine.wordpress.com/2019/07/27/will-the-real-pkz110-exe-please-stand-up/comment-page-1/#respond

The (as near as can be determined) original distribution:
http://cd.textfiles.com/1stcanadian/utils/pkz110/pkz110.exe

Also: a commenter to the post above states they bought an original PKZIP diskette from eBay, and it had the same "PKZIP110.EXE" as the one in the link above.

OK, I'm done now. Really, really done. Unless I find another "incredibly useless factoid"...