File transfer is one of the oldest applications of the Internet, and there are plenty of File Transfer Protocol clients around to choose from — in fact both Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer can download files from FTP sites, and Internet Explorer 5.0 will have some new FTP features. For those who want to get into excruciating detail, Windows 95 and 98 include a command-line FTP client much like those traditionally used on the Internet under other operating systems. But most PC users who want to do more than occasional downloading will want something in between, so there are a number of Windows FTP programs around, some that extend the Windows Explorer to include FTP and others that have their own user interface. Ipswitch's WS_FTP has been around for some time with a stand-alone user interface; now WS_FTP Pro (for Windows 95, 98 and NT) not only includes an Explorer interface but lets you use both interchangeably to suit your needs for each session.
   The classic interface is the same one that WS_FTP has had for a while, with two windows, one for your own system and the other for the FTP site. Two arrow buttons (not visible in this screen shot) tell WS_FTP to transfer highlighted files in the desired direction, and the buttons next to each window let you view file contents (using Notepad or some other viewer you may have), make and delete directories and the like.  There's also a window at the bottom to show status messages coming from the FTP site. WS_FTP Pro has a lot of options to customize this display; one of the best features is the database of FTP sites that lets you enter user names and passwords for the non-public sites you access and set up all sorts of parameters to customize your access to each site.  Ipswitch provides a list of commonly used public FTP sites that are already configured for use(which now number over fifty, not counting Ipswitch's own sites that are also included).
   The Explorer interface is attractive to a lot of people because it works the way Windows 95, 98 and NT 4.0 work. WS_FTP Pro extends the Explorer so that FTP sites will appear as if they were drives on your system (just as other computers on a local area network would), and you can drag and drop files between your system and the FTP site.  The Explorer interface even lets you transfer files directly between two FTP sites without having to download and upload them to and from your PC — a real time saver if you're using a normal modem connection. (This only works if your destination FTP site supports third-party transfers.)
   As if that weren't enough, WS_FTP Pro also has a find utility that works almost exactly like Windows 95/98's Find Files function, making it easier to find files on FTP sites. Be advised that searches like this can take quite a while on a modem connection, not through any fault of the program but because the only way to do such a search is to read many different directories from the FTP site. There's a utility to help synchronize files between your PC and an FTP site, and another to automate file transfers that you perform on a regular basis. (WS_FTP Pro 6.0 is also available for Windows 3.1, but that version doesn't include the utility pack or the Explorer interface option.)
   WS_FTP Pro is still small enough that it's shipped on one floppy disk, something unusual these days; it doesn't grab a horrible amount of space on your hard disk, and at $37.50 it isn't expensive. Best of all, you can download a 30-day trial version from Ipswitch's Web site.  (If you're already using WS_FTP Pro versions 4.0 or 5.0, the upgrade to 6.0 is available for $9.95.)  If your FTP needs go beyond just downloading a file now and then, WS_FTP Pro is certainly worth a look.

   Link to the Ipswitch Web site