Re: ftp using Netscape 4.7

[twistedhammer@example.com]

On 8 Jun 2001, at 0:17, Fredric Fredricson wrote:

> Shimpei Yamashita wrote:
> > 
> > [snip]
> > 2) Resume downloads. Some Real FTP Clients let you resume downloads
> > after you get cut off. I can't think of any reason why Netscape
> > can't let you do this, but it doesn't; and this feature isn't a
> > luxury when you have to download a 600MB ISO image over a modem line
> > and you get cut off after 595MB. [snip]
> > 
> Interesting. I think (note, "think") I have seen Netscape do just
> this. I always beleived the problem here is more at the transmitter
> end. And also that this feature is sort of non-standard in some way.

Actually _most_ ftp sites these days support the the required 
command (which simply allows you to specify a byte offset). 
However Netscape's implementation on the client end is 
notoriously picky; as far a I can tell the code to transparently allow 
this looks something like this:

if (File_exists) {
   if (File_name_is_in_history) {
      if (File_hasn't_been_retried_already) {
       retry_file();
      }
   }
}

The affect of this is that if the file exists netscape asks you if you 
want to overwrite the file. If you say yes, and you haven't shutdown 
netscape or already retried downloading the file, then it continues 
to download the file. Otherwise it overwrites it and starts from the 
beginning. Overall less than useful IMO.


James Gibson
twistedhammer@example.com