Chicago (IL) - ZIP pioneer PKWare has released a new generation of its file compression utility PKZip. With a clean interface and an improved feature set, PKWare hopes that the software will appeal especially to corporate users.

PKZip has received a much needed update. Version 8 presents itself with a revamped interface and several new functions. The software was brought up to date with all major features known from competitors such as Winzip. New features include several new wizards as well as a possibility to add stronger encryption to ZIP archives. PKWare also updated the user interface, which now closely resembles Winzip.

Compared to Winzip, already a first look to PKZip reveals that most features which go beyond ZIP creation and extraction have the corporate user in mind. Files created by PKZip can be easily transferred to other operating system platforms such as UNIX, Linux, iSeries midrange, and zSeries mainframes-where they can be unzipped and decrypted by other PKZip products available on those platforms.

System adminstrators are now able to deploy policies for the transfer of files. For example, maximum file sizes for data transfers can be set. If file sizes are exceeded, PKZip automatically creates archives to cedrease the need of bandwidth. Version 8 of PKZip also supports password security based on RSA Bsafe, supporting 3DES and AES standards. Optionally, PKWare offers SecureZip as separate product and data security solution to enable certificate-based encryption.

A nice feature of PKZip is the integration into Microsoft Outlook and Lotus Notes. Since compression of files today is mainly used when sending data by email, many users will find it useful to manage their archives directly from the main menu of their email client.

We had the chance to get a first look on PKZip 8 and found that the software has made a significant leap forward. Basic usability as well as functionality now is on par with Winzip. Our only complaint is a missing feature to create EXE files from zipped archives. According to PKWare, an option to create self-extracting archives was planned, but ultimately removed from software before the release. The company was concerned about malicious code, which could be distributed with EXE archives, the company said. Instead, PKWare offers a free Zip Reader , which allows users to preview and extract files from Zip archives.

If you consider to buy one of the two compression tools, you won't go wrong with either one. Winzip however remains the best choice for home users. It covers all Zip-functionality you may ever need. PKZip is your tool if you need administrative capability and if 256-bit AES encryption is not secure enough. Speaking of encryption: It is worth to mention that both tools - PKZip 8 and Winzip 9 - are finally able to open and extract archives password encrypted with the other tool.

PKzip is available for $24.95, SecureZip is priced at $79.95.