So, the question arises, if this system works without alienating the user why do we need separate software? Why is there a glut of new applications trying to fill this niche? To find out, I downloaded FTP-It! v2.11 from Hobbes (via WebExplorer) and started to play with it.

The install was reassuringly easy. The utility forces you to read the install.txt file before commencing. A simple menu click then installs the program. The process creates a new folder on your desktop which contains the program objects.

Here is where I ran into to the first problem that would probably have deterred me from experimenting further, had I not had an editorial deadline to meet. There seemed nowhere to go. A 'quick list' function is provided, but it was empty. It would be nice, especially for the absolute beginner to FTP, if a few of the common sites were already in there, or at the very least, if some mention of their addresses was made in the documentation. For a list as small as OS/2 FTP sites, this seems a reasonable request.

The on-line help is sufficient but not exhaustive. It provides ample information to get started, yet I feel it could be clearer in its explanation. The authors have, I feel, assumed a greater degree of knowledge of FTP than I imagine is common. An additional, hand holding, 'Getting Started' section and glossary of FTP terms would make a welcome addition.

The program offers settings notebooks for both local and remote hosts but none of the options offer much in the way of customisation, and once set can be forgotten. Connecting With a little digging I managed to find the correct syntax for the Hobbes FTP archive and was duly connected on the second attempt. With FTP-It!, remote hosts open in a separate window which appears on top of the local host window, completely obscuring it from view. This can be confusing if you don't realize the original window is still open beneath the new one. All that is required is moving the new window aside, but you should not have to do this.

And so I started my first transfer. There are two ways to transfer files: you can either double click on the file name you wish to transfer or drag and drop. Being a BIG fan of drag and drop, I tried this first; it didn't work! So I tried again, and then realised why it hadn't worked. To receive a file you must drag and drop it into the local host window. I wanted to drop it directly onto the desktop. This seemed far more logical and intuitive but it was not to be. FTPing by double click brings up an optional confirmation screen that is not available when FTPing by drag and drop.

During the transfer a status window appears which shows a clear and informative display of file name and size, target directory, bytes received, elapsed time and estimated transfer time. This last feature seemed highly erratic in its accuracy, though.

To view a text file on the remote host it is necessary to transfer the file to your hard disk. With the 'Browse' option checked before transfer, text files are immediately displayed in a window for viewing. Luckily, most text files on FTP sites are very small so there is no real storage problem. Still, why not simply incorporate a facility to view these files without transferring them?

One very neat feature of this package is the ability to open multiple remote connections simultaneously. Once I was familiar with the way FTP-It! worked, I managed to open two connections to Hobbes and one to CD-ROM and download three files at the same time, without any apparent performance hit. While they were downloading, I collected some waiting e-mail and had a quick look around some WWW sites with WebExplorer. I kept an eye on the transfer rates and they did not seem to slow at all, no matter what else I did at the same time. This really is the sort of thing to show off at OS/2 parties!

However with multiple concurrent FTP's running the screen can tend to get a bit confusing. Each connection opens in its own window and is overlaid with its file transfer status window. These can be moved separately from their parents so that the correspondence is not always obvious. A minor point, but one worth watching out for in case you close a connection and then realise that it was the one that had not finished its transfer (as I did). Reconnecting and re-downloading the file does not start from where you left off, but goes right back to the beginning and transfers the whole file again.

The program is a VX-REXX program and therefore needs the vrobj.dll file. I've heard performance can be sluggish on 8 meg machines, especially with a full WPS setup. With 16 megs it performed well and without any serious glitches.

FTP-It! is basically a very elegant package with a few rough edges. If you are a power FTPer then check this one out. By the time you read this v2.12 should be available, which I understand will address some of my criticisms.

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