I want to allow people to download files from my site, but I do
not have something called an FTP server. What can I do?
FTP is one of the protocols that is used on the internet. It
actually stands for File Transfer Protocol.
Since it is not the same service as Hypertext Transfer
Protocol (HTTP), it requires its own server. To be a bit more precise,
it requires a special service running on the computer to support
requests for file transfers.
Most likely, you want to provide what is known as anonymous
FTP service. This is when a person can simply download a file
by clicking a link without having to log on to a server.
As with most things in life, more services mean more money. If you
do not have access to an anonymous FTP server, there is a way to
get a similar effect for free!
Normally, a link to a file available for download on an FTP server
might look like this:
<A HREF="ftp://bignosebird.com/cardcgi.zip">
Download the Greeting Card Program</A>
To accomplish the same thing without using FTP, set up the link
as follows:
Please Shift-Click then Save to
<A HREF="http://bignosebird.com/cardcgi.zip">
Download the Greeting Card Program</A>
At this point you must be scratching your head a bit. Okay,
here is the big secret. We simply changed the ftp:
to http: in the anchor tag. Since the browser does not
know a file is about to be downloaded, you must instruct
the reader to either Shift-Click or Right-Click on the
link, then select either save link or save target
depending on the browser.
