Conference Categories | Apps Conference | FTP / Archie / Finger Topics http://www.euronet.nl/users/petert/public_html/fpware/ petert@euronet.nl http://www.euronet.nl/~petert/fpware/fpar08b1.zip fpArchie for Windows 95 -- Have you ever had trouble downloading a specific app? How about trying to grab the latest version of Netscape or Shockwave during the period following their release? As many long-time netizens can attest to, it can be nearly, but not quite, impossible to connect to and download apps at major sites following their immediate release to the public. That's when a program like fpArchie comes in handy. By contacting one of the many freely accessible archie servers, fpArchie (or any similar archie client) can search FTP sites world-wide for the file or files of your choice. fpArchie is the latest archie client to arrive on the 'net but the first to be offered as a Windows 95-specific app. The program functions and looks nearly identical to the Windows 95 built-in Find option. Menus are available for selecting the file or files to be searched for, for specifying the archie server to be used, for optionally entering a date criterion that will bypass outdated files, for offering similar criteria that specify the app size and path name characteristics, for sorting the results, and much more. By utilizing a format familiar to most users, fpArchie makes finding apps on the 'net as easy as possible, but the overall utility of fpArchie doesn't end there. Once you find your desired app, you're likely to want to save it to your hard drive as well. Thankfully, fpArchie contains built-in FTP support -- making the process of downloading an app as simple as can possibly be expected on the 'net. As for negative aspects to the client, they are few are far between. First, both Windows 3.x and NT users will have to search elsewhere for an archie client (try David Woakes' WS Archie), as fpArchie is currently limited to the Windows 95 platform. Also, like other archie clients, fpArchie is limited by the number of FTP sites monitored by each archie server. Needless to say, some of the best file archives on the 'net cannot be accessed via archie. Finally, fpArchie could also benefit from having the capability to manually or automatically enter additional archie servers for monitoring. While fpArchie is still in the early stages of development, its versatility and utility are two factors that combine to make even the current release an excellent download. As fpArchie continues to evolve, watch for this app to become even more impressive. Pros: Built-in list of archie servers and support for FTP, quick and easy to use, utilizes multithreading Cons: Many anonymous FTP sites are not included in most Archie servers' indexes, Windows 95 specific New: This is the initial review for fpArchie Version Reviewed: 0.7 Beta 1 Date of Review: 3/8/96 Reviewer: Forrest Stroud apps conference Main Menu