* * * * *

                         I think I'm turning into jwz

So I have to download a customer's site from their old server, because the
wget I did a few weeks ago missed some “private” files.

Why did I use wget a few weeks ago?

Because of FTP (File Transport Protocol), that's why (and yes, I did forget
that wget can do FTP—grrrr).

Now, I'm used to using FTP. Been using it since, oh, 1989 or there abouts.
But the standard FTP client that comes with Unix doesn't handle directories
very well, in that you can't just “get” a directory and have it download all
the files in said directory—no, you have to change into each directory and
grab the files.

[Why? Because it feels soo good when I stop] [1]
Well, there is ncftp but I hate ncftp. I'd rather use a Windows FTP client
like CuteFTP or WS-FTP than ncftp and that says something.

So I end up using ncftp.

Under Windows no less.

Sigh.

I don't have ncftp installed on my workstation, because apparently, it isn't
installed by default with this Linux distribution (which is based off a
RedHat [2] distribution—funnily enough, my system at home, which started out
as a RedHat 5.0 system, has ncftp installed, even though I never use it). And
I'm not about to install it, given the oh so wonderful experiences I've had
with package managers that fail to actually install the packages I want
because I use the common name, like foobar instead of the more precise name
like foobar-2.4.2-snap-dragon-on-speed.Beta-release.

So I figure I'd use Windows, since every Windows GUI (Graphical User
Interface) FTP client can at least deal with recursively downloading files.

Only the GUI-based FTP clients we have installed on the Windows system are
well past their “evaluation” period and is now in the “register now or we
trash your system” period. And the default Windows FTP command line program
is even more pathetic than the default Unix FTP command line program, so
using that is out of the question.

But …

The Windows systems have Cygwin [3] installed, which includes an install of
ncftp.

So that's why I'm using ncftp under Windows.

But why do I hate ncftp?

Because it does things on my behalf that I don't want it doing. I'm used:

> GenericUnixPrompt> ftp ftp.example.net
> Connected to ftp.example.net
> 220 Foobar 2.4.2 Snap-Dragon-On-Speed Alpha Release
> Name (ftp.example.net:spc):
> 331 Password required for spc.
> Password:
> 230 User spc logged in.
> ftp>
>

You know, the FTP program asking me for the userid and password.

ncftp? Oh, it tries to be “helpful” and unless otherwise stated on the
command line, will automatically anonymously log me in. You know, to save me
from having to type A N O N Y M O U S (or even F T P which became the other
default anonymous user login because I guess, typing A N O N Y M O U S proved
to be too difficult for most users).

That is not the behavior I expect from an FTP client—especially a command
line FTP client, and I know I'm in the minority on this (since nearly every
one of my friends seems to like, or at least, tolerate, ncftp as the current
state of affairs, much like Medival peasants tolerated the Black Death as the
current state of affairs).

Once past that problem, next was downloading the entire site. Started the
recursive GET, only to have it time out on a particularly large file. Okay,
try it again.

At least ncftp was smart enough to realize what it had already downloaded,
but a few of the files apparently “changed” between the two attempts, and I
was given the chance to “[O]verwrite” or “[!O]verwrite All.” My mistake here
was assuming that “[!O]verwrite All” meant that any files that it would
otherwise ask me about it would just overwrite.

Hah!

No, selecting “[!O]verwrite All” really meant: “re-download every file and
oh, crap out on the really large ones.”

A couple of hours of fighting this crap, I found out that what I really
wanted was set auto-resume yes.

To really drive home the friendliness point—as I was trying to quit ncftp it
noticed that I had not “bookmarked” the site. No, just quit—I don't need to
be asked to “bookmark” it—if I want to “bookmark” it, I'll tell you.

Sheesh.

God, I just love software that knows better than I about what I want done.

[1] gopher://gopher.conman.org/gPhlog:2005/08/01/stress.gif
[2] http://www.redhat.com/
[3] http://www.cygwin.com/

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