apt-cache show rar
Package: rar
Priority: optional
Section: non-free/utils
Installed-Size: 1156
Maintainer: Martin Meredith <mez@debian.org>
Architecture: i386
Version: 2:3.9.3-1
Suggests: unrar
Filename: pool/non-free/r/rar/rar_3.9.3-1_i386.deb
Size: 556720
MD5sum: a91e39aac2baf2d78a175bec6cb3143e
SHA1: 46f312092283a0e29953569cf5f953a19c61399a
SHA256: 59066197c9b1ae73f5d3700893ba9d803ebb85b6ecb11c812f1bcb9f7c0b340b
Description: Archiver for .rar files
This is the RAR archiver from Eugene Roshal. It supports multiple volume
archives and damage protection. It can also create SFX-archives. There are
versions which run on DOS, Windows (3.1x,95,NT), FreeBSD, BSDI.
.
This program is shareware and you must register it after 40 days of use.
Homepage: http://www.rarlabs.com/
Tag: interface::commandline, role::program, use::compressing, works-with::archive

apt-cache show unrar
Package: unrar
Priority: optional
Section: non-free/utils
Installed-Size: 240
Maintainer: Martin Meredith <mez@debian.org>
Architecture: i386
Source: unrar-nonfree
Version: 1:3.9.10-1
Depends: libc6 (>= 2.2), libgcc1 (>= 1:4.1.1), libstdc++6 (>= 4.1.1)
Conflicts: rar (<= 2.60-1)
Filename: pool/non-free/u/unrar-nonfree/unrar_3.9.10-1_i386.deb
Size: 101304
MD5sum: 2a325df3c583b016dd98ecb3ecc1051a
SHA1: 840ab24127e5c8c0dc0ffc1ee3692b8ed14288b3
SHA256: 102b0624f4e2acfea7183f660e54854f52786af3134b486c7fb57a3e5034fe9e
Description: Unarchiver for .rar files (non-free version)
Unrar can extract files from .rar archives. If you want to create .rar
archives, install package rar.
Homepage: http://www.rarlabs.com/
Tag: implemented-in::c++, interface::commandline, role::program, works-with::archive

Why this proprietary option do in KDE by default?
Where is option with GPL 7-zip? http://www.7-zip.org/

Well, then you should maybe not activate the non-free repository in your Debian sources.list.
It is by no means a default KDE installation, rar is not even provided by KDE, it is only shown as an archive application option.

Also, the option you are showing is just that, without the application installed you will not get anything from it. In case you don't know: KDE also runs on Windows and OS X, I think this option is just there as a compatibility option for those operating systems.

It's the same with Free Software office applications, you can save a text file as an open document format or in a proprietary format, it's just a format, you don't have to use it and it is not default.

Mamarok wrote:Well, then you should maybe not activate the non-free repository in your Debian sources.list.
It is by no means a default KDE installation, rar is not even provided by KDE, it is only detected to be an archive application if you installed it.

I'am install debian sid from debootstrap, in file sourses.list war only one line - "deb http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian sid main contrib" without "non-free".
The option "As RAR Archive" was by default, without "non-free" repository.

//

I connect non-free repo later, in order that like to quote what is rar.

Mamarok wrote:In case you don't know: KDE also runs on Windows and OS X, I think this option is just there as a compatibility option for those operating systems.

7-zip - under GPL, and runs on Linux, Windows and OS X. Why by default proprietary archiver, but not GPL archiver?

Mamarok wrote:It's the same with Free Software office applications, you can save a text file as an open document format or in a proprietary format, it's just a format, you don't have to use it and it is not default.

I knew this, but why KDE-developers advertise this proprietary program in such a way?

OpenSUSE 11.2 and 11.3 also have RAR by default

Siado, KDE does not install RAR or whatever packaging program. Blame your distribution for that.
KDE only checks if there is RAR and in the case it shows that option.

giucam wrote:Siado, KDE does not install RAR or whatever packaging program. Blame your distribution for that.

Blame opensuse & Debian?

giucam wrote:KDE only checks if there is RAR and in the case it shows that option.

Then why this option was active? without installet RAR? You wrong.

@Siado
Service menus, the extra actions in the context menu, are not dynamic, as far as I know. It seems you installed Ark and it is trying to be helpful by adding a "Compress as RAR archive" option, even if rar or unrar is not installed.

Why is it installed? Because most distributions build packages with most optional dependencies enabled.

@dpalacio
Therefore the question is why does Ark add an option to compress to the proprietary rar format, but does not add an option to compress to the free 7z (or newer xz) format?

You might say popularity, but in my experience (which may not be typical), I've seen 7z used at least as much as rar. OTOH, I would expect people using KDE to lean towards the free formats (as they apparently lean towards free desktops) - primarily tar.gz, tar.bz2 or 7z (or xz, but that one is very new as of yet), or zip if they are coming from a windows environment.

7z is supported by Ark. You can reach it via "Compress to..." where you have more choices than those in the primary context menu.
If you want to also have 7z in that context menu directly, open a wishlist item on bugs.kde.org for that.