My favorite FTP program: FileZilla

So easy to use and it's free! You can download it from here:

http://sourceforge.net/projects/filezilla

WSFTP for me, nice and simple, does what it says on the tin sort of stuff
Available here http://www.ipswitch.com/downloads/index.html

SmartFTP (http://www.smartftp.com) for me

Come on, gals and guys. I don't think we're giving this topic justice. It's a very good question, but I don't for the life of me know why I made my choice. I'm using AceXFTP. It works fine and I don't have much motivation to try another.

That sounds like what has been said for the others that were mentioned:
FileZilla, WSFTP and SmartFTP.
Just compare the almost religious debates you get if you look at browsers. Opera rocks. Firefox for ever. I still like IE. ... and that still small Netscape voice.

So does no one want to point out why their's is better? If you were about to create a new FTP program, what would you put in it to have a USP (Unique Selling Proposition) and beat the crowd. ... or am I flogging a dead horse here?

Ah, browser wars - good times, good times. (Actually, I never got into browser wars... but they do generate some "energetic", not to mention long, threads.) :)

The reason I went looking for a new FTP program was because the one I was using was having problems with the "Auto" setting for choosing to transfer in binary or ASCII. CGI program files were being transferred in binary and ended up garbled.

Also, when I had to assign attributes for one of the files (ex: 644), the program wouldn't allow me to just type in the number and have the program fill in the check boxes on the various permissions. This means I'd have to search for the permissions settings - yuck.

So I went on a quest for something that fit my budget (free!), had a familiar Windows style interface, and would be easy to recommend and help family with.

FileZilla, besides just having a cool name, is very simple, organized, and has a familiar look and feel. For those who need all the extra FTP goodies, they are in there as well without getting in the way. And yes, it's easy to assign file attributes. Just punch in the number and it automatically checks the right permission boxes for you!

I use WS_FTP for similar reasons: stable ASCII/binary settings, CHMOD (and other command line) capabilities, and no fuss (I want to transfer files, not watch an animated head!).

Although I use both the Pro and LE versions, I prefer the LE version for its efficiency. The Pro version is nice, and has the "enter CHMOD code for auto-checkbox" feature Robert describes, but I can only launch one instance of it at a time, and it is not as "tiny" as the LE version.

Two more:

I sometimes use a program called SyncraFile, too. With SyncraFile, when changes are made to a file on my hard drive and I save it, the file is automatically uploaded to the server or to another directory (for backup). Pretty cool idea, but it has a few issues. You can only do a few files at a time (around 20), and it crashes on WinNT4 fairly frequently. If I remember, it costs around $20 for the unlimited license.

I also sometimes use a program called ftpNetDrive, where you can set up an FTP directory as a mapped drive and you can drag-and-drop to and from it like any other mapped drive. It works very well, but no bells and whistles like in WS_FTP. It's also around $20 (maybe $40...it's been awhile).

I think I may be in the minority, with this question...but what the heck!

At home I'm running Red Hat 9 Linux. There are several FTP programs included (gFTP, kGet, and such), and there are a few others available from SourceForge. I have been looking for one that allows me to define which filetypes get transferred in ASCII mode, because I can't find the setting for this in the standard ones. KBear, from SourceForge, purports to have an "Extensions" setting for this purpose...but I can't seem to locate it.

As a workaround, I use gFTP (Gnome) to transfer the binary files, then switch to a terminal to transfer the ASCII files. A bit cumbersome, but it gets the job done. I'd think there was something more robust available, or at least some simple way to set this up. I'm probably not looking in the right place.

Um...any Linux FTP thoughts?

==Update==
In my quest, I have been reading lots of info about FTP between two Linux boxes or between Linux and Unix (Let's just call it Posix, shall we?).

It seems like the preferred method of transfer in these situations is binary, binary, and more binary ... regardless of the file type. I haven't gleaned exactly why this is so, yet, but that's probably why I don't see options for switching between ASCII and binary modes in the Linux FTP programs.

From a WinBox to Linux/Unix, it is imperative that the proper transfer mode be selected, so maybe there is a bit-conversion taking place that does not occur in a full-on Posix relationship. Dunno. Still learning...

==Update: 9-16-04==
The real poop:

Windows text editors write text files (html, php, cgi, et al.) using "DOS mode ASCII", which uses a different, hidden means of ending a line of text (specifically, for you techies: \r\n) than a Posix text editor uses (\n). As a result, in a Windows=>Posix or Posix=>Windows situation, you MUST specify ASCII mode for transferring text-type files to and from the server so the line endings get translated correctly, particularly with text files which will become executable (PERL scripts, et al) on the server.

In a Posix=>Posix situation, there is no need for line-ending translation, so binary mode is just fine for transferring any type of file via FTP.

I discovered this after uploading a little script from a Winbox and having problems executing it, due to the DOS line endings (Error: "bad interpreter"). I simply rewrote the script at the Posix server (using vi) ... no more DOS problems ... script runs fine.

Whew! That's that, I guess. :)

Robert, I have been using FileZilla for the past week, and I gotta admit, it is MUCH faster that WS_FTP LE or Pro. It looks like the negotiating between transfers is quicker. Regardless of why, it's now my FTP program of choice on a WinBox.

Thanks for the recommendation! :thumbsup:

I've been using Core FTP (http://www.coreftp.com/) for a few months now, and I like it.

It's fast and easy to use, and has lots of features. And it's free.

I use Total Commander from http://www.ghisler.com/ as a complete replacement for Windows Explorer. It includes advanced FTP with resume supported. It is inexpensive, and the time saved by having all file management facilities in one application makes the cost seem a pittance.

:o
you pay for FTP software?

Robert, I have been using FileZilla for the past week, and I gotta admit, it is MUCH faster that WS_FTP LE or Pro. It looks like the negotiating between transfers is quicker. Regardless of why, it's now my FTP program of choice on a WinBox.

Thanks for the recommendation! :thumbsup:


Glad to be of help! :thumbsup: I don't even remember where I first came across FileZilla, but I'm glad I stumbled across it. :p

I'm glad you were able to come up with some info regarding Linux FTP. Linux is something I know absolutely nothing about. :o

I just updated my previous post re: Linux FTP (http://www.smallbusinessbrief.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1094&postcount=7) with the real poop, FYI.
;)