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FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol; it is used to transfer files between different kinds of computers, regardless of what kind they are or what type of operating system they are using. FTP is valuable for getting software from the countless anonymous FTP sites throughout the Internet. These sites offer complete software packages like word processors and games, graphic images, screen backgrounds, sound clips, text, virus checkers, etc. Some software retailers offer their product updates and bug fixes online through FTP.
There are three types of software available through FTP: public domain, freeware, and shareware. Public domain software is not copyrighted, it's free for the taking and there are no restrictions on what the consumer may or may not do with the software. Freeware is also free (hence the name) but it is copyrighted. The consumer may not modify it or distribute it for money. Shareware is also copyrighted, but unlike commercial software, you are encouraged to use it before you agree to buy it. If you decide to keep and use the software, you mail a small fee to the creator.
Files may be transferred one of two ways: binary or ASCII (sometimes seen as text). In a binary transfer, the file is transferred unchanged, bit-by-bit. The computers don't try to interpret or manipulate the bitstream, you get an exact duplicate of the file. In an ASCII or text transfer, the data is moved as characters. Certain characters may have to be interpreted for the client computer and the content of the file is preserved. You'll probably want to move most files in the binary mode unless you are sure they are text. Many FTP clients allow you to set the transfer mode to automatic in which it will choose binary or text for you.
To better understand the distinction, Ed Krol (1993) presents a nice analogy in the Whole Internet User's Guide. Consider an article written in German. A photocopy of the article would be like a binary transfer...it's an exact duplicate of itself, but quite useless unless you understand German. If you then handed it to one who spoke German, it would be very meaningful. If the article were translated to English, that would be like a text transfer. It can now be used by a non- German speaking person, but it may have lost some of its nuances.
Files may be stored uncompressed or in a variety of compressed formats. The compressed files take up less room on the server and can be transmitted more quickly. The compression technique is indicated by the file suffix and tells you which decompression program is necessary on your computer. To decompress, youÕll want a copy of PKZIP (DOS/Windows) or Stuffit Expander (Macintosh) on your computer.
Here are some common extensions to be familiar with:
ext file type transfer mode decompression .txt text file ASCII or text . ps PostScript file ASCII or text .bat DOS Batch file ASCII or text .exe Executable binary binary .com Executable binary binary .sea Self-extracting archive binary .sit compressed binary Stuffit Expander .hqx compressed binary Stuffit Expander .zip compressed binary PKUNZIP
You need four things to log into an FTP site: the host name, directory, user ID, and a password. If you are logging into an anonymous ftp site, your user ID is anonymous and your password is your Internet mail address like jsmith@globalcon.net. It's common courtesy to provide your address as the password so they know who is accessing their files. You will have to know the hostname for the site. It will be something like crusher.globalcon.net. You will also want to know the directory path. It is usually similar to /pub/msdos/ or /pub/mac/. If you do not know the directory, try leaving that field blank or entering /pub/.
Your FTP client will provide a mechanism for you to browse the directories. When you find a file in which your are interested, select the file. Using the file extension, decide whether to transfer the file in binary or text mode. Then Get or Copy the file (depending on your client). You may have to decompress the software before you use it. When you're through, close your connection or disconnect.
Some FTP software is purely command-based and you must use a set of commands to communicate with the server. To learn about this, consult an Internet book, or look for instructions on the Gopher.
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