Re: ftp help

[lacoss@cello.gina.calstate.edu (LA County Outdoor Science School)]

scottw@onyx.southwind.net (Scott Weierich) writes:
> I have never attempted to use the ftp area of my provider before, and 
> seem to need some help getting started. When using the option to ftp to 
> the location of my choice, "exactly" how do I enter a sites address? I 
> tried to use hypermall.com, ftp.hypermall.com, //ftp.hypermall.com, and 
> ftp://ftp.hypermall.com to no avail. What am I doing wrong? What are to 

Once you get your ftp prompt, type "open" and then the site name. E.g.

ftp> open ftp.hypermall.com

> other prominent ftp sites for GS software? Next, please tell me what I do 
> once I get onto an ftp site? Are there descriptions for all software? How 

Once you get in, type "h" or "help" or "?" to get a list of the commands 
that are available to you.  Most of the commands are stardard Unix commands.
Unfortunately, many sites do not have descriptions of the files located 
there.  You have to either know what you are after, or download and 
decompress things to find out what they do.

> do I properly transfer a text file and a shrink-it (this type is referred 
> to a binary file right?) file to my system so that it comes to me in the 
> right format for usage or unpacking? Is there any hope?

There is a command to tell the system you have an ftp connection to to do 
a binary transfer to your remote system (the system you use to get 
connected to the internet).  Then do a binary transfer from your remote 
system to your computer and you are all set to unshrink.  The above 
procedure is for .SHK files.  If you have a binsiied file, you can 
transfer and download it as text.

Greg
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