We came. We saw. We Spoke.

This post was inspired recently by watching clients use tools and processes we ourselves take very much for granted: extracting Zipped archives and accessing an FTP server. We do these things every day, but it’s only when we observed others did we realize that not everyone understands what these basic (and venerable) technologies are about, let alone manipulate them successfully. So, we decided a simple primer was in order.

ZIP FILES

Fundamentals
Zip files are files or folders compressed into a single “zipped” folder. To access the files in the folder, one must “un-zip” the folder using special software. Whether the software is built-in or downloaded, the compressed file must first be saved on your computer (preferably on the desktop for easy access) before it can be un-zipped.

Tools
Built-in
Most computers come with compression software built-in.

1. Save the .zip file to your desktop
2. Right-click on the zip file
3. Click on Extract All
4. In the Extraction Wizard, click Next and then Next again to start un-zipping the file
5. Click Finish

The extracted or un-zipped file will be similarly named and capable of opening now.

Apple’s Mac OS X has built-in zipping capability that is even easier to use.

WinZip
If you don’t have that built-in capacity, you can download the most popular compression software, WinZip (www.winzip.com), which has both free and paid versions.

1. Right click on the zip file
2. Click on WinZip and then on Extract to Folder

WinZip will extract or unzip the files for your access.

---

FTP

Fundamentals
FTP or File Transfer Protocol is the universal way to manage and transfer files from anywhere using the internet. One can do so via their internet browser or via free (and many paid), downloadable software. We’ll discuss a few of the popular options below in Tools.

Whichever tool you use to access the FTP server, you will need the following bits of information:

• Host/server – It will either be a name, i.e. ftp://domain.com or an IP (i.e. 11.22.33.44).
• Username/login – user or user@ domain.com
• Password

This information should have been supplied to you from the server administrator.

Tools
Transmit (for Mac)
Transmit ($29.95, free trial) is an FTP application for Mac users. You can download it from www.panic.com. Once installed, follow these simple instructions to get it set up:

1. Click on the Favorites button
2. Click on the plus (+) sign under the Collections column to create a new favorites folder.
3. Click on the plus (+) sign under the Name column to create a new favorite under the folder you just set up.
4. Enter the settings for your FTP account.
5. Click the OK button to save your connection settings.

The connection should now be in your list of favorites. To connect and manage your FTP files, simply double click the connection.

SmartFTP (for PC)
SmartFTP is a free FTP client that can be downloaded from www.smartftp.com. Once installed, do the following to setup and access the FTP server:

1. Click File and then New Remote Browser
2. In the New Remote Browser pop-up window, enter the FTP server settings.
3. Click the OK button.

The FTP client should then successfully connect to the server where you can view, download or upload files.

Browser-based FTP

1. In the address bar of a browser (such as Firefox), type in the FTP server address. (Note: It will look similar to ftp://username@domain.com or ftp://ftp.domainname.com)
2. Enter the username and password in the resulting pop-up window.

The browser should list the files and folders on the FTP server.

Alternatives to sharing large files
To share large files for a certain amount of time, try:
www.box.net
www.senduit.com
www.streamfile.com

Find more alternatives here.