On Wed, 17 May 2000 12:14:24 +0200, Andor Bariska wrote: > 1. If there was a transmission error (this happens about 2-10% of the > downloaded stuff), one must just download the erroneous file, instead of > the whole thing again. The files are FTP'able, and FTP supports downloading starting in the middle of a file, so you just need an FTP client that can do that. The latest Netscape for Windows (4.73) has Smart Download, and also fixes an important security bug. Most standalone FTP programs support resuming an interrupted download, although you may need the registered version to get that feature. > 2. If there is a bottleneck somewhere, one can download several packages > simoultaneously - speeds up the downloading process. I disagree. If there's a bottleneck, you won't get better performance with more streams, and you'll create more overhead on client and server for the additional connections. Better to use a smart downloader that can queue several files at once. Another good one is WS_FTP from Ipswitch (http://www.ipswitch.com). A registered copy is only $40. Kenneth Porter Kensington Laboratories, Inc. mailto: http://www.kensingtonlabs.com |