As I posted here, I’m eventually taking the BIG leap off Typepad to my very own little home at A Small Orange with Wordpress. As I’ve been setting things up one tool I’ve needed to use is FTP (File Transfer Protocol - click over to Wikipedia for a tutorial here). FTP is a very common and perhaps one of the most basic of file transferring technology over the Internet. It’s a tool you really need if you have your own remote hosted server someplace in the universe (which is how remote hosted servers usually work - you don’t have them they are “remote”). Basically it allows you to transfer files easily from the computer you generally use to the remote one. Right now I am writing this article on a Dell Lattitude D600 in my cozy little office. But then it got posted to Typepad to you could all enjoy it 
Easy to use FTP programs are a joy. Hard to use ones will make you gray and give you agita.
There’s many different kinds to use, though they all basically work the same. You load the program onto your computer, click on the little icon, tell it where your remote host is and voila, your can start moving files over to the other computer at will and at ease. There are many you could use from for your WindowsXP desktop, such as Ipswich WS_FTP and Globalscape CuteFTP. Both are very highly rated but they will run you $39 for the package with no support. And at the Frugal Tech, we do love a bargain, so we’ve hunted down something that works as well, and, is far cheaper. Free in fact.
The program is called FileZilla and it rocks. You can learn about it from this link here. FileZilla is a fast FTP and SFTP (secureFTP, for extra privacy on your transfers) program for Windows with a lot of features. There is even a server side version (if you so desire one). The license for this software is under the GNUGPL (General Public License) meaning that it is free for you to use or to tell and give to others. Just don’t sell it, that’s a no-no.
FileZilla makes me hot ….purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr …. it’s free, it’s supported, it’s got neat license, and it works!!…….get it here, Note, there are like 4 or 5 zip programs. I was confused for like a day until I realized you only need to download the zip package that is labeled: “FileZilla_2_2_19a_setup.exe” All the others you won’t need. Download that file to your computer, then click on it and run it and you’ll be as happy as I am :).
(Oh, for MAC users out there, you might want to try CyberDuck, I’ve heard it is fabulous, though I have no personal experience with it).
**update 06/17/06**Â The current version as of this update is 2.2.2.4b and the right file to download is “FileZilla_2_2_24b_setup.exe”
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