Better FTP Software

[kjv1611]

A couple days ago, I was doing some web work, and because I wasn't happy with something I did via FileZilla (still one of the best FTP clients, I might add). So, it got me to hunting for another FTP app. I tried CuteFTP Pro again, but it's not been updated (it seems) in some 5 years. I used to think it was good, but now it seems slow. It still has some good options, but not as much better than FileZilla as I used to think, ... now, I'm not sure it's as good anymore.

I tried a couple other trialware types to see what I thought. The 2 I tried seemed okay, but not better enough over FileZilla, particularly since it's free.

Then I tried another one, which I originally THOUGHT was trial-based. After I tried, it I got to looking for the "buy" link to see how much the thing would cost, b/c I was really liking it, thinking it might be worth actually paying for. When I went to the About page, it said Freeware! I apparently had missed that part, or forgotten from trying the various ones..

Here's the one I tried and really liked:

http://download.cnet.com/BitKinex/3000-2160_4-10214947.html?tag=mncol

It's called BitKinex by Barad-Dur. The publisher's name means Dark Tower, or so I found online. So, I suppose that's why they picked the icon for a dark tower for the application.

Anyway, I practically got teary eyed from how well this ftp client app works. I mean, besides all the normal drag-drop type things, most everything just makes sense. It's a nice clean, simple, to the point interface that is somewhat visually attractive, perhaps just b/c it's a clean interface.

Want to run shell commands over ssh? Just click an icon in the middle of the app. It uses your ftp account credentials to log you into a shell window, from where you can type to your heart's content!

Well, if you've not heard of the program, it's b/c it's apparently brand new. It looks like I must have found it the day it came out, or the day after, on download.com!

And it was way down the list, don't even know how I found it, almost.

My tears of sadness were turned to tears of joy! Okay, no, I did not REALLY cry over an FTP client, but it is definitely, so far, a breath of fresh air.

Here's the ftp client home page:

http://www.bitkinex.com/

I've not even covered the tip of the iceberg yet, as I just used it so far for drag and drop. I did open the putty app from the interface, and it ran smoothly, logging in, but I've not tried to do anything with that yet.

So, if you're looking for a better FTP client than what you already have (in Windows), then look no farther!

 

[ChrisHunt]

It's called BitKinex by Barad-Dur. The publisher's name means Dark Tower, or so I found online

Blimey, a geek that hasn't read Lord of the Rings. What is the world coming to?

Thanks for the tip though.

-- Chris Hunt
Webmaster & Tragedian
Extra Connections Ltd

 

[BigRed1212]

How would Mordor brand software not be part of an evil plot to take over the world? Or at least not have a trojan or malware or something in it?

I'm not sure the name inspires confidence.

 

[spamjim]

Curiosity: what does it do better than something like Filezilla? While I do not have the authority to hold Filezilla to the standards of Mary Poppins, I can run it on all my platforms.

We should be cautious with entering our secure credentials into any app that is not from a well-known source or offers itself to open source scrutiny.

 

[kjv1611]

Hmm, Okay, yeah, I saw at least some of the Lord of the Rings movies, but never read the books. Didn't pay all that much attention to the movies either. Now that you say it is from that, makes sense to me that a techie person might use that naming.

So far I've been using it with no issues. FileZilla may still be faster on the actual transfers, hard to say. But the total usability features are far better than FileZilla. FileZilla was what I was using primiarily when I went looking for another choice, and didn't like much else I found.

Also, I've at least not seen any security threats with this app whatsoever, not from any valid source. I do think no-name persons and/or companies can write good programs just as well as big names. Then again, I suppose it does seem a little odd to give it away free... they have to have income from somewhere....

Well, then on the other hand, I know of a good Bible study program,

http://www.theword.gr,

that is free (donations accepted - actually, nowadays extremely encouraged - by the author), and it works great. He's run that one for years that way - free - not open source.

Well, if I find any findings - good or bad, regarding security in particular, I'll post back my findings.

Thanks for everyone's thoughts.

 

[JazzFreak]

Thanks for the tip. I'll give BitKinex a whirl. Filezilla does all the important stuff, but its not exactly polished.

First impression of BitKinex - it has a few options for importing settings from other FTP programs, but does not support Filezilla (XML) import.

p.s. I'll pass on the Bible study tip.

 

[wiser3]

No FTP client beats the simplicity of using the FireFox plugin FireFTP. The convenience of simply switching tabs to it and switching back to browsing while it runs is sweet.

 

[kjv1611]

Does FireFTP support SFTP, or just FTP? I know I thought about checking into it, but I prefer to use SFTP.

 

[spamjim]

SFTP, yes.

 

[Mfho1]

I recently purchased SmartFTP and I like that. I also use Ipswtich FTP for work.