--- Jason Slagle - CCNA - CCDA Network Administrator - Toledo Internet Access - Toledo Ohio - raistlin@tacorp.net - jslagle@toledolink.com - WHOIS JS10172 -----BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK----- Version: 3.12 GE d-- s:+ a-- C++ UL+++ P--- L+++ E- W- N+ o-- K- w--- O M- V PS+ PE+++ Y+ PGP t+ 5 X+ R tv+ b+ DI+ D G e+ h! r++ y+ ------END GEEK CODE BLOCK------ On Thu, 31 Aug 2000, Edward S. Marshall wrote:
HTTP, perchance? The only things missing are a machine-parsable file indexing method (which would be easy enough to standardize on if someone felt the need to do so; think a "text/directory" MIME type, which would benefit more than just HTTP, or use a multipart list of URLs), and server-to-server transfers coordinated from your client, which most people have disabled anyway for security reasons.
You know, I almost challenged someone to suggest HTTP in my original posting but decided not to as I didn't think anyone would. Not all of us enjoy point and clicky interfaces (Even lynx in this context is point and clicky). I don't see the ability to implement the functionality of command line FTP (Yes, I know it COULD be done, but it is a hack at best. ls = transfer directory listing. And what of ASCII and BINARY data types. ASCII transfers still have use.)
But, you get the added benefit of MIME typing
I don't consider this a benefit as I already have enough problems with HTTP servers having the wrong mime type for .gz. I'm TRANSFERING a file. The mime type is mostly irrelevant there. What do I need to know if it's a image/jpeg if I'm just transfering it to my local drive. The MIME type is only beneficial if your attempting to do something with the file after receipt. If I was I'd be using HTTP or another protocol. I'm not, I'm transfering it.
human-beneficial markup
Once again, of no use. I don't want thumbnails if I ls -l a directory of jpg's.
caching if you have a nearby cache
Theres no reason I can't cache it now. Squid manages to (Granted it's taking ftp:// URL's, but you could hack up a "real" ftp proxy to cache.
inherent firewall friendliness
Point taken here.
simple negotiation of encrypted transfers (SSL)
Here also.
And for command-line people like myself, there's lynx, w3m, and wget.
While I've never used w3m, lynx and wget lack the functionality of just about any FTP client. When I want to choose from a list of files and "click" on the one I want I already use lynx with ftp:// url's. But, often I don't want to do that as I'm transfering multiple files.
FTP is disturbingly behind on features, some of which (decent certificate authentication, full-transaction encryption, data type labelling, and cache usefulness) are becoming more important today. Either the FTP RFC needs a near-complete overhaul, or the HTTP and other RFCs need to be updated to include the missing functionality.
I'm not arguing that it isn't. I'm just saying that until a NEW protocol comes out, or someone overhauls the existing FTP protocol, you can't scrap it as nothing I have found duplicates the functionality I want in an FTP client. wget comes close for http, but I have to know what I want beforehand. The solution (As several people have emailed me to say) may be sftp or scp with encryption and compression off when not needed (Which I confirmed is nearly as fast as FTP). I'd be willing to work on hammering out a new and "improved" FTP protocol if several others are interested. Jason