Choosing the Best FTP Software: Classic FTP and Fling

File Transfer Protocol, also known as FTP, can be a very useful tool when we know how to utilize it. It is used for transferring files from computer to computer on a network. Most commonly, it is used by web developers to upload web pages to a web hosting server. You can also use FTP to back up files on your computer by setting up an FTP account on any FTP service provider.

NCH not only offers a straightforward FTP solution with Classic FTP, but also offers Fling, which streamlines the uploading and synchronization process. Classic FTP is a traditional ftp client offering the latest FTP features, allowing you to upload or download files manually, or synchronize your local directory with the remote directory. Fling was originally designed specifically for maintaining our website, so if you manage a website or need to synchronize local and remote data, Fling is absolutely the FTP software you need! Fling integrates directly with Windows Explorer and can be set to automatically upload file changes. FTP file management has never been easier.

Whether you want to manage one website or several, or simply back up or share files, FTP software will make the process both easy and efficient. Just like the rest of our software, Classic FTP and Fling are easy-to-use and have free 14-day trials, so you can download and start exploring just how easy file transfer can be and make sure you find the best FTP client for transferring your files.

F is for FTP

NCH Software ABCs Series

File Transfer Protocol, or FTP, is a very useful and standard way of transferring files over a network or the internet. The most common uses are for a web master or designer uploading files to a server, or designers transferring their large files to a printer, but those are is just two of the possibilities.

Despite our constantly growing computer hard drive capacities and faster internet speeds, transferring large files can still be a challenge because media files have been growing too. FTP was created as a solution to this file transfer and sharing problem, and it has withstood the test of time with few major changes since its first graphical user interface upgrade from command line operations.

NCH Software offers two flavors of FTP programs with distinct designs catering to different transfer management scenarios and/or personal preferences to make sure that you can find a streamlined and easy method to handle your FTP needs:

Classic FTP is just what the name implies. Its design is what those already familiar with FTP or other FTP clients have come to expect—a straight-forward interface where you browse your local computer on one side, and the remote server or machine on the other.

Fling is a different way to think about FTP, where the interface is rarely needed after the initial setup. You set up folders to map to an FTP server, then you can choose to have Fling automatically check for updates for you to keep the files synced, or you can choose to manually upload or transfer files from your local machine, which can be done by simply right-clicking on the file or folder and selecting Fling Upload. Fling does the rest.

So if you are looking for a file backup or transfer solution, an FTP client or FTP software, take a closer look at Classic FTP and Fling to see which one is the perfect fit for your file transferring.

<<< Previous: E is for Easy

Next: G is for Graphics >>>

Web Designers: Why You Don’t Need DreamWeaver

DreamWeaver is supposed to be a one-stop shop for web design. The package offer is very tempting to the beginning web designer in search of web-design training wheels, or even the small business owner who is comfortable working with HTML but needs help with everything else. But unless you can get DreamWeaver as part of a larger Adobe Suite, buying it alone is hardly worth it. Here, we break down the stages of designing a basic website and show how to avoid paying hundreds of dollars for something you really don’t need.

Concept Design

Obviously, the first place to start is with a paper and pencil. If you’re putting a site together for a client, ask as many questions about their design aesthetic as you can think of. If the site is for you or your business, make sure you cover all the functionality you need. Jot down the structure of the website as a chart or on separate pages. Plan everything out before you go to the computer.

Cost of Concept Design: $0

Graphic Layout

Not only is it nice to see what the site will look like before you do all the hard work, but a good digital mockup of your site will be easy to slice up for the images you’ll put in the code. Many designers use PhotoShop, but if your site doesn’t need to do back-flips and speak Martian, you can easily get away with using a more basic image editor.

PhotoPad Image Editor allows you to work with digital pictures, resize, and edit as you need for your website, then save in a web-friendly format. You can also add text and get a good feel for the layout you’ll be building into the site.

Cost of Graphic Layout: $0

To the Trenches: the Text Editor

This is where I geek out, so there’s no way I want a program that is going to do the coding for me! And the sooner you can wean yourself off the idea that web design can happen like any WYSIWYG word processor, the better. Plain and simple, you will have to know HTML and CSS to build a website. Once you’re comfortable with these two peas in a pod, any text editor will do. You want a fancy one, you say? Sure! Get one that color codes your tags for easy readability. Go big, but be sure to go free. There are several free, quality text editors out there that are more than qualified for this job.

Cost of Text Editor: $0

Test, Test, Test

Testing is a matter of opening your .html files in a browser and making sure they don’t look funny. And last time I checked, browser downloads are free.

Cost of Browsers for Testing: $0

FTP to Your Web Host

Your website is ready for the big time, finally! But how to get it off your local machine, and out into the World Wide Web? FTP, of course. You’ll do yourself a favor to find one that is easy to use, reliable, and can guide you through the initial setup with your web host.

Classic FTP is all of these. It has an intuitive interface that doesn’t get in the way of the functionality, and it stores your connection settings so that making updates to your site later on is absolutely painless.

Cost of FTP Software: about $45

There you have it. Web design without DreamWeaver, for a highly reasonable price. Try it. You’ll probably like saving money and getting just as much accomplished in the meantime.

A Webmaster's Love Affair with Fling FTP Software

I have a bit of a running joke with Laura, in our office, that I'm having a love affair with our FTP client, Fling, but it is based partly in truth. I really think that it is a very handy little application that does its job exceptionally well. I love it's simplicity. Fling offers such a clean and easy solution for uploading files to our website, it's admirable.

With over 80 software products in total that we make here at NCH, there is a lot of variety to what applications we might be talking about on any given day. But without fail if someone in the office mentions something about Fling, I will undoubtedly say something about how great I think it is, gushing like a girl in love.

I do personally use quite a few of our programs, which we have talked about in the blog before (Do we use our own software?) but Fling is one of the ones that I find myself using the most regularly.

I am one of the few people who reviews changes to our web pages here. After I have looked over a page and I'm ready to have it go live on the website all I have to do is right click on the file and select "Fling Upload." Fling does the rest. It's as simple as that.

It might seem a little silly to say that you are in love with an FTP client, but it's the little things, and even for such a little application I've found Fling to be a very useful and reliable little tool to have in my arsenal. I love Fling for its simplicity. I love how quick it is. I love how accomplished it makes me feel. If only every fling I've ever had had the same qualities.

Happy Valentine’s Day!