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People are not recommending 7-zip in response to the cert problem but rather to someone directly asking for a superior alternative in https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24284253

Regardless, 7zip does not have as much of a need for a certificate because it is foss so you do not need to trust the creators, in comparison to winrar which isn't and you need to trust them.

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The fact that it is FOSS makes it _easier_ for someone to compile it with a backdoor or trojan. I would say the need for a certificate is _higher_ there. You don’t need to trust the developers, you need to be able to trust the people who have built the executable.

For example, for some time SourceForge used to offer the executable with their own "installer" https://www.howtogeek.com/218764/warning-don%E2%80%99t-downl...

Well, viruses existed for ages, so I do not think that it really makes it easier. The reason that you do not need a signed executable as much is that people can just compile one themselves.

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