Internet Chapter 6
To download a file means to receive on your computer a file from another computer.
Command-line FTP interfaces require that you learn the command get, put, cd in order to use the program.
FTP is one of several services built into and supported by the Internet suite of protocols.
FTP can run from a Web browser, with an FTP client program and through a command-line interface.
You can send spreadsheets, pictures and sounds over the Internet using FTP.
It is customary, polite, and required to enter your full e-mail address when you are prompted for your password in an anonymous FTP session.
When you log on to one of the many publicly accessible FTP sites, you type the username anonymous as your user name.
The Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer Web browsers both recognize the FTP protocol.
To transfer files between your PC and another computer, first you must connect to the remote computer, which you can do by logging on to it directly or from your Web browser.
When you want to upload or download a file, you connect to a remote computer and request that the FTP client either receive files from you or transfer files from the remote computer to yours.
Usually, you will use anonymous FTP to transfer files from another computer to your PC.
You can develop Web pages on your PC using a full-featured Web page-design program like FrontPage or Page Mill.
Many GUI FTP clients are easy to use because they have menus, toolbars and help files.
As you move deeper down a directory hierarchy, a forward slash separates the individual directory names.
You can use FTP to download free programs, data files and software patches from many different sites.
Most pictures, movies, sound clips, and graphics are binary files.
The zip extension indicates a compressed file.
The pdf extension indicates that the file is an Adobe Acrobat portable document format.
The ppt extension indicates a set of PowerPoint slides.
The exe extension indicates a program.
You can use a file compression program to reduce nearly any file to a fraction of its original size.
The most common file type that you find on the Internet is a compressed file, which is a file that has been saved in a special format that makes its file size smaller to conserve space and shorten download time.
Software that is available to anyone for no cost and with no restrictions attached to its user is called freeware.
The site download.com contains many freeware and shareware programs in many different categories.
Zip files condense files so they occupy much less space.
A popular file compression program available for free during your evaluation is WinZip.
The FTP command GET downloads a given file from the remote computer.
Downloading is more common than uploading because people usually send more files than they receive from other computers.
FTP can transfer files between computers with any operating system.
The marketing.xls file is an example of an Excel worksheet.
Virus detection software scans the files on your disk looking for any infected files.
Shareware usually is only available for a short evaluation period.
Shareware usually is slightly more reliable the freeware because the shareware developer sometimes is willing to accept responsibility for the operation of the program.
Freeware users are not expected to stop using the software after an initial trial period and uninstall it from their computers.
PDF files provide a universal and convenient way to represent documents.