So, the argument is that FTP is going away, and the evidence presented is… that Chrome stopped supporting it? Pretty weak sauce. A more compelling argument would involve, like, gathering some actual usage data.
Sure, FTP has been getting replaced by HTTP(S) and SSH for quite a while now. But the tail on these legacy technologies can be awfully long.
As part of my ionospheric mapping side-project, I run into lots of data files that are hosted on government or university FTP servers, so this will make my life a little bit harder… but as long as lftp keeps working I’ll survive :)
The WS_FTP screenshot was a real nostalgia trip — that’s how I used to upload my website to tripod :)
In some ways, this setting can be less nerve-racking than trying to navigate a website, because the interface is consistent and works properly. (Many web interfaces can be pretty nightmarish to dig through when all you want is a driver.)
Perhaps we should try building protocols instead of webapps, and design the protocols such that all the modern web shonkiness is impossible in them. Competition between clients could then prevent the only client from being some RAM-munching thing built out of a browser?
I still use FTP regularly for downloading Amiga software (grandis.nu - also has a website on there too), Aminet and use FTP at home for access between systems. FTP was around long before the web browser, and will be around for a long time after.
This article made me think back to my first years on the internet in the late 80s and early 90s. I used to know how to find just about anything, back before search engines were really a thing.
Every company had one - that particular brand of nerd who you could ask “Hey where can I find IPX packet drivers?” and be pretty sure you’d get the right answer.
I do miss the simplicity and straight-forward-ness of FTP sites. You needed a file. The site had it. Connect, maybe ls if you needed, get, quit. Done.
No click through EULAs and 20 layers of janky Javascript to wade through :)
So, the argument is that FTP is going away, and the evidence presented is… that Chrome stopped supporting it? Pretty weak sauce. A more compelling argument would involve, like, gathering some actual usage data.
Sure, FTP has been getting replaced by HTTP(S) and SSH for quite a while now. But the tail on these legacy technologies can be awfully long.
As part of my ionospheric mapping side-project, I run into lots of data files that are hosted on government or university FTP servers, so this will make my life a little bit harder… but as long as lftp keeps working I’ll survive :)
The WS_FTP screenshot was a real nostalgia trip — that’s how I used to upload my website to tripod :)
Perhaps we should try building protocols instead of webapps, and design the protocols such that all the modern web shonkiness is impossible in them. Competition between clients could then prevent the only client from being some RAM-munching thing built out of a browser?
I still use FTP regularly for downloading Amiga software (grandis.nu - also has a website on there too), Aminet and use FTP at home for access between systems. FTP was around long before the web browser, and will be around for a long time after.
The method to publish on Aminet is still to upload to a designated directory on the FTP server.
This article made me think back to my first years on the internet in the late 80s and early 90s. I used to know how to find just about anything, back before search engines were really a thing.
Every company had one - that particular brand of nerd who you could ask “Hey where can I find IPX packet drivers?” and be pretty sure you’d get the right answer.
I do miss the simplicity and straight-forward-ness of FTP sites. You needed a file. The site had it. Connect, maybe ls if you needed, get, quit. Done.
No click through EULAs and 20 layers of janky Javascript to wade through :)