Native FTP program?

[Javintosh]

I haven't looked at Fetch or NetFinder yet.

I will most likely get around to it today. I start school in 4 days and want to get this whole FTP client thing settled before I get really busy with school and work (I heard we might go on "voluntary" overtime at work starting Dec 1 ).

Thanks for the feedback.

[Javintosh]

I just finished looking at NetFinderX and Fetch (and a little more at Transmit).

I could not do the upload test on Fetch (150 very small files). I got an OpenTransport error and could not upload all files. Fetch was the only program that choked on the upload.

Right now I plan on waiting to see what happens to the bugs in Transmit and NetFinderX. Unlike Transmit, NetFinder X does not let you turn off the delete confirmation screen (neither does fetch) and that really dirves me up a wall. Then again, transmit does not have a keyboard shortcut for deleting files. The status panel on fetch bug me too much.

Fetch, Transmit and NetFinderX are definitely the apps to watch. Until more apps are native Anarchie will do.

My ideal FTP client would pull the positive features from all 3 apps and implement my original wish list flawlessly.

Anyhow, here's the info on fetch, netfinder and transmit updates:

Things that I need in an FTP client:
1. Speed - escpecially, uploading/downloading several hundred very small files.
2. Ability to quickly list directories with thousands of files
3. Ability to edit files in remote server using BBEdit (and have FTP client upload updated files as I save them in BBEdit)
4. Ability to set file permissions and ability to set upload permission defaults
5. Ability to rename remote files.
6. Ability to create remote directories.
7. Ability to delete remote files and directories (including recirsive delete).
8. Drag and Drop for both upload and download.
9. Ability to turn off display of local files.
10. Keyboard navigation, including the ability to open in same window or new window at will (by changing modifier keys).

Apps:
Note about speed - Fetch, Transmit and NetFinder all displayed 1,900 files in just a few seconds. Download speeds for all these apps were also virtually identical.

Stability Note - Gideon, Fetch, Transmit, NetFinder all crashed at least one. Most times it was when doing specific things you would not do very often if at all (except for Transmit and BBEdit uploads). In any case, it is annoying to remember not to do certain things to prevent the browser from crashing.

NetFinder:
1. Minor - preferences are still under Edit menu
2. future positive - preference to put a file's URL in comment which does not work!!! (most missed feature from IE - IE would put a picture's URL in its comment when you dragged and dropped the picture into the finder. The OSX version no longer does this.)
3. minor but annoying - no option to not display delete confirmation
4. positive - best keyboard navigation
5. positive - least screen waste of any program
6. positive - new connection URL autocomplete
7. very positive - if you hold down the option key while uploading via drag and drop, you will get a dialog where you can set the upload options for that upload. This also works for setting one time download options.
8. positive - preference to keep connection from timing out
9. Minor - if already logged into site, cannot open a new window to site by selecting a new connection
10. Minor - will overwrite folders in finder if names conflict
11. minor - no preference to not display delete confirmation dialog box

Fetch:
1. Minor but very annoying - you have two choices to see upload/download progress: 1. a space-wasting side panel 2. nothing
2. Minor - even with status panel closed, wastes some screen space (about as much as Transmit)
3. positive - can change upload/download options on a per window basis
4. positive - can keep connections alive
5. Major - no option to set upload permission preferences
6. minor - will not overwrite folders in finder even if pref is set to overwrite
7. minor - no way to turn off file delete warning
8. Major!! - got open transport error when uploading 150 files - had to upload files in batches - uploaded about 100 files first time, 29 files second time and 35 files third time - no other app had problems with this test. Had to use another client to reupload all 150 files.
9. minor, but annoying - file renaming is done via dialog box (top beef with anarchie)

Transmit:
1. Major - When saving files in BBEdit, Transmit crashes when trying to upload file
2. positive - download speed of many small files is very good
3. Minor but annoying - delete key jumps selection to top of list and forward delete key jumps to the end of list
4. Minor - if BBEdit and BBedit Classic are installed, editing a file will launch BBEdit Classic. - Can workaround by launching BBEdit X beforehand.
5. positive - ability to set duplicate name behavior (overrite/new name/etc.) independently for upload/download
6. minor but annoying - after cconnection times out the window will go back to the initial login screen, after reconnecting the window will display initial directory (anarchie would display window contents after timeout and reconnect automatically with previous login info if user initiated any FTP action)
7. Major - try to keep connection preference does not work (which makes #7 worse and might also make BBEdit autoupdates difficult)
8. positive - preference to not display delete confirmation dialog
9. minor but very annoying - no keyboard shortcut to delete files

[edX]

great work, thanks!! very informative way of presenting it. some of the things that matter to you are very unimportant to me. But you made the descriptions in such a way that it was pretty easy to evaluate. I actually like not being able to disable delete confirmation as it keeps me from making stupid mistakes. I still end up trashing things i don't want to even with it enabled. I recently lost about 2 months worth of emails because i wasn't paying enough attention to a confirmation dialogue. upload and downloads rarely take me long so status is not normally an issue. i am so used to watching my little dog run that I have grown fond of him over the years. I don't think i have ever had a crash like you describe but then i have never uploaded more than 20-30 files at once. Sounds like it could be a big issue for big websites with constant updates. Since one of my favorite uses for ftp is to more effienciently download large files, the ability to maintain connection and finish the job is very important to me. again thanks, people should be able to make some very informed explorations of their own based upon the info you have given us!!

[Chris Belwinds]

Here's where you can download Transmit:

http://www.panic.com/transmit/

It might not be "perfect", but at least it's free! :-)

[benpoole]

Agree 100% with Javintosh.

I got tired of being taken to the cleaners every time Interarchy decided to download its latest version, and then start demanding money all over again... I've already paid once for Anarchie, and once for Interarchy -- I'm not going to pay again for version 5.

Luckily I found a v4 installer on a CD at home... and I paid for that one

[fryke]

... if you're looking for software, go check http://www.versiontracker.com/macosx before buggin the community.

but now that you've asked, I'm using Fetch 4.01, and it works almost flawlessly. for small stuff I use the Terminal (normal UNIX ftp command).

[butre]

I have used secureftp and monica (url copy and paste)

I hate monica but quite like secureftp.

I would now want to pay for something simple like an ftp client,

my 2p worth

butre

[bighairydog]

Originally posted by fryke
... if you're looking for software, go check http://www.versiontracker.com/macosx before buggin the community.

True, but the mot useful resourse is the community's opinion - something that you don't get as well with versiontracker. Thanks Javintosh by the way, very useful...

Bernie :o)