A: ZIP files are archives containing one or more files in a compressed format. ZIP files are used to save space and to conveniently group sets of files into a single downloadable file.
Most modern operating systems feature built-in support for ZIP archives (sometimes referred to as "Compressed Folders").
In order to extract the files contained in a ZIP archive you can use an "unzip" tool or a more sophisticated ZIP front-end (which usually can both read and write ZIP files). If you are not satisfied with the built-in operating system support, We recommend the following packages, which also come in partially free versions.
The following programs are free:
The following packages are commercial, but include a free evaluation version:
For additional information on the ZIP file format and free software you may want to visit Info-ZIP.