Another request for multipart transfer.

Yes I did search the forum and found the old closed thread, but it's 3 years old so I think this could do with a revival. Why is it so damn hard to find a decent FTP client with multipart transfer? I'm tired of having to keep crap like Free Download Manager (which is a HORRIBLE client for FTPs) on my system just so I can get large files in less than a day.

I also read the old arguments, so I'll head most of them off for you in advance.


1. "There's no measurable speed increase!"

This isn't true for all users. In some places, the ISPs like to throttle specific ports (or all but specific ports) to lower speeds. It's really bad in places that have a single monopoly provider, like where I live. They'll sell you a line rated in megabits, then throttle anything but web access to 3KB/sec "so people don't abuse the service". The thing is, it throttles per connection (at least in my case, I've tested). With one connection, I get 3-5KB/sec. With 20, I get 70-90KB/sec. I can provide as many screenshots of FDM as you want to prove this.


2. "The remote server is always faster than you."

Yes, but that doesn't mean the PER CONNECTION LIMIT is faster than you! Many large FTPs like to throttle down their connections to prioritize "premium" users. Just because they're sitting on an OC-192 doesn't mean they aren't squeezing you to 5KB/sec so you'll pay them money to download things you should be able to find free anywhere else but can't because they've flooded the search engines. As a writer for a gaming magazine, I'm constantly butting heads with these damn sites over game trailers to put on our DVD and such, and it's annoying as hell.


3. "There are faster mirrors."

Doesn't matter given 1 and 2.


4. "It slows down other users."

Yeah it might, hence why many sites have a max # of logins per user like 5. However, on my private site where I'm the admin, the other users can bite me. So there's a legitimate use. Also, clients like FDM do this anyway, so it's not like you're going to get singled out for "abusing" servers.

You should look into download programs that support metalink. Free Download Manager will support it, but GetRight, Speed Download, wxDownload Fast, aria2, & some other programs support it now.

Here's a good description:
'Metalink makes complex download pages obsolete by replacing long lists of download mirrors and BitTorrent trackers with a single .metalink file. As you might have already guessed, a .metalink file is a file that tells a download manager all the different ways it can download a file. The file itself takes the form of an open XML standard that can list an unlimited number of HTTP and FTP sources as well as BitTorrent trackers and ed2k and magnet links.'
http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/08/28 ... downloads/

My usual downloads (6 megabit cable) are around 150-200k/sec when it's one segment from one server. Using metalink, it maxes out my connection at around 750k/sec getting multiple segments from multiple servers. I've seen other people get to around 9MB/sec (of course, this was at work where they had an amazing connection).

It's really handy for ISO downloads.