Before the World Wide Web and hypertext language existed, there was FTP. Short for File Transfer Protocol, FTP was a protocol developed in the early 1970s that was a large part of early Internet technology. It allowed users to upload and download files from remote computers using a series of commands. A detailed history of FTP can be found at the TCPIP Guide and FTPGuide.
Since FTP doesn’t encrypt files and can be cumbersome to use, it has been largely replaced by more transparent and secure programs that download files. However, it is still used often in the maintenance of web sites, and some public sites still maintain FTP servers.
FTP can be executed by running commands from a system prompt. Advanced commands can be difficult to remember, but simple ones used to connect, download, or upload files are easy to use. On Windows XP and newer operating systems, an FTP site can be opened from a browser, and files can be moved back and forth as if the site were a folder on the computer – similar to using Windows Explorer. There are also many free FTP clients that can be used to transfer files.
It is still possible to find sites that provide downloads via FTP. Many software and hardware manufacturers provide FTP sites for downloading drivers, patches, and other software.
Free Net and EA offer fun and useful items like games, images, music, freeware, and software downloads.
To find more FTP sites, use an FTP search site. FTPSearch.net, Filewatcher, and GlobalFileSearch are some sites that can be used to search for FTP download sites. FTP Planet has lists of FTP sites for shareware, software, games, and drivers. A member site at the University of Oregon offers a directory of FTP sites for software downloads of various platforms, image manipulation, and networking.
When using an FTP site, a user needs to know what files to look for. FTP sites are arranged by folders and files that are often not very descriptive. Some sites can be accessed anonymously, but for others, a username and password are required. Be sure to scan any files downloaded for viruses and do not download executable files unless you’re sure that the site is legitimate.