After years of offering users a generous free trial period, popular compression software Winrar has announced a change to its policy that's sending shockwaves through the tech industry.
Starting next month, the free version of Winrar will be more limited than ever before. Users will be restricted to compressing and decompressing just 25 files per day, with files over 5MB limited to read-only access. And if you try to bypass these restrictions by uninstalling and reinstalling the software, you'll get hit with a pop-up window of Clippy from Microsoft Office, saying "It looks like you're trying to cheat the system. Shame on you, buddy".
Not surprisingly, the announcement has sparked outrage and disbelief among the many users who rely on Winrar to manage their files. One user, who wished to remain anonymous, told us: “This news is shocking — I don’t know what I’ll do without Winrar. I’m a small business owner and I need to compress a lot of files every day. What am I supposed to do if I can only compress 25 files?"
Winrar’s move is seen as part of a larger trend in the tech industry, where companies are trying to make it harder for users to enjoy their products for free. Industries like music and movie streaming have already limited their free-trial periods to 30 days, for example.
But the impact of Winrar's new policy is hitting users hard. Some are even calling for a boycott of the software on social media, using hashtags like #winrarisaripoff and #boycottwinrar.
One of the most popular memes being shared on social media shows a cartoon image of a Winrar icon in a dark alley, accompanied by the words, "Hey kid, wanna compress some files? Only $29.99 for the full version!".
In response to the backlash, Winrar CEO Philipp Winter said in a statement: “We understand that this is a change that will cause some inconvenience to our users, but we believe it’s necessary in order for us to continue to provide high-quality software and support. We appreciate your understanding and hope you’ll continue to use Winrar.”
But with competition in the compression software market heating up — with the likes of 7zip and PeaZip offering comparable services for free — Winrar may want to reconsider its new policy if it wants to keep its millions of users happy.
At the end of the day, only time will tell whether Winrar’s new limitations will be the final nail in the coffin for the popular software. But the one thing we know for sure is that the internet is not happy. In fact, we have it on good authority that the world wide web is currently the global epicenter of a worldwide #WinrarDrama epidemic.
