There are lots of great FTP clients out there for Mac OS X, but my favorite is Cyberduck (if only because the icon is so darned cute). Recently Cyberduck 3.0 was released, and it brings with it a bunch of neat new features, including:
Support for WebDAV
Support for Amazon S3 (that's Amazon storage cloud service)
Bookmark searching
Quick Look for files in the Cyberduck browser (this is pretty cool)
The UI has also gotten a lift, and I must say it is pretty snazzy. Overall, this is a great update to a very good app.
Cyberduck is free, but donations are encouraged.
Update: The previous picture was of version 2.x. Sorry about that!
We recently noted the release of the new shareware FTP client Flow and now it seems that one of the more venerable open source FTP clients on the Mac is also nearing a new version release. The first beta of Cyberduck 3 is now available. Most importantly, it adds a substantially updated interface as well as support for WebDAV and Amazon S3.
Cyberduck 3.0b1 is a free download but donations are requested.
Flow, a pleasant FTP client for the Mac, has definitely come a long way since we last took a look at it (so very long ago). Flow just hit version 1.0, and here are some of the new features:
QuickLook
Built-in editor
FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, .Mac, and local FTP
Droplets to upload quickly
Flow is designed specifically for Mac OS X Leopard (version 10.5). Flow costs just $29; you can also download a free 15-day trial version then buy a license. I am an adamant Transmit/Panic addict; however, Flow has such a great Aqua-licious UI and feature list, that I may make the jump (sorry Panic guys).
Forklift, the split-pane file manager with support for multiple network protocols, is officially at version 1.5 now. We covered the initial release a while back, and we're excited about the progress it's made. With an interface update (Leopard goodness) and some behind-the-scenes tweaks, it's turning into a sweet piece of work.
Forklift has always been of interest to me, with its support for SFTP and Amazon S3, but my previous experiences with Forklift had shown it to display a tendency toward a little sluggishness and the occasional poorly-timed crash. This latest version has not only been stable for me, but has been snappy. And by that I mean speedy to the extreme, especially when dealing with (S)FTP servers and S3. Ten times faster on remote transfers, actually, according to their own benchmarks.
Quick Look and FXP Copy (server-to-server file transfer) round out a great feature set. If you're looking for a Finder add-on/replacement (or a great FTP client), definitely download the trial. At $29.95, it's quite reasonably priced for what it can do. And for current users the upgrade is free and will fix quite a few shortcomings you may have noticed thus far. Version 1.5 is Leopard-only, but 1.2 is still available for our striped friends.
Dockdrop isn't necessarily something new to Mac OS X, but it's a simple and a cool application none-the-less. Dockdrop allows you to drop files on top of it and perform an action. You can use the following protocols to send files: FTP, Flickr, WebDAV, or SCP. Dockdrop reminds me of the "droplets" that you can create in Panic's Transmit FTP application (and is pretty much the same). I tested the FTP and Flickr upload functions and they both worked seamlessly.
Dockdrop works with both Mac OS X "Tiger" (10.4) and "Leopard" (10.5). You can download Dockdrop for free from the developer's website.
I'm probably one of the few bloggers here who hasn't shelled out for a .Mac subscription (and an iDisk) -- I've just never personally come across a situation where I needed one. For transferring big files I usually either throw it on a DVD or an FTP site, or I use YouSendIt for free -- there's a 100mb limit, but in all of my file transferring, I've never had reason to break it (most of what I send is audio tracks for podcasts).
And now they've released the application version of their interface -- YouSendIt Express is now available for the Mac. Unfortunately, it seems like the standalone app doesn't have some options that the web interface does (specifically checking delivery confirmation and a download limit), but for just shuffling a file off to someone else fast, it does the trick.
From everything I can find on the website, it works just great with the free account version of YouSendIt, so if you find yourself shipping off files quickly enough that you need a dedicated app to do it, there you are.
Interarchy 9, Nolobe's FTP application, is out Friday 1/11 with over 100 new features. We've covered Interarchy in the past, in part because of its old-school cred, but this release has some new-school polish.
In addition to the existing support for the usual protocols and Amazon S3 transfers, version 9 adds a new protocol built on SSH that offers security, speed and flexibility beyond the limitations of SFTP. The protocol is perl-based and should work with any server running perl v4 or later. I'm also happy to see the addition of a Finder-style path bar which accepts dropped files on any part of the path. Some other highlights from the extensive release notes include:
Major upgrades to tab functionality
A multi-function sidebar for easy access to, well, everything
Interarchy 9 will retail at $59, but is available at a $39 introductory price until March 1st. Even with the discount, it still comes in higher than most of its commercial competitors. There is a fully functioning demo you can use to test it against your current solution and see if the hype stacks up to the price.
Of course, if Interarchy is your current solution, upgrades are $29 and free for anyone who purchased Interarchy on or after February 1st, 2007.
Blogger Shawn Blanc is at it again. After writing a thorough exploration of NetNewsWire, he's turned his attention to Transmit, Panic's popular FTP client. He starts with the origin of Panic and Transit 1.0 (there was no "M" back then) before looking at the Transmit we all know and love, comparing it to "...the huge dude in the gym that makes everyone else look like 7th graders."
Favorites, Droplets and visual confirmation of what's going on (via the Dock icon) are just a few of the little things that make Transmit so pleasant to use. If you're searching for an FTP client, check out Shawn's review.
Earlier this week, Panic released Transmit 3.6.3. If you're unfamiliar, Transmit is the FTP application that's loved by many (including us). Version 3.6.3 offers improved Leopard and Amazon S3 compatibility, French and German localization and several bug fixes.
If you haven't tried it out, take this opportunity. It's a great application. This update is free for registered users of version 3.x. Transmit requires Mac OS 10.3.9, and a single license will cost you $29.95.
Although there are lots of good FTPoptions out there for the Mac, my personal favorite is Yummy FTP. It's lightweight, feature rich, FAST (it's why I stopped using anything else) and now it's Leopard Compatible. Version 1.7, which was released on November 20, includes the following updates (per the Yummy Software web site):
Mac OS X 10.5 ready
QuickLook Integration
Leopard UI update
New icons
Finder-like rename
Bookmark color labels
Bug Fixes
Additionally, a 1.7.1 beta update was released on November 22, making QuickLook behave more like Finder (pressing space bar opens or closes the QuickLook pane) and fixing a few other bugs.
Yummy FTP is $25 for a single-user license, but you can try it out for free for 30 days.
We're all talking like pirates today, savvy? Best way to stay clear of Davy Jones' Locker is to have a sure way of gettin' ta yer treasure, like maybe a map, or a compass, or perhaps a shareware FTP client. We be downloading Captain FTP even now.
The Captain keeps a pretty tight ship, despite all the plundering and pillaging; in fact, in version 5.0, he's got a handy local LAN version of FTP, extremely useful for transferring files 'tween the crow's nest and the poop deck. Built-in file viewers and easy transfer acceleration top off the treasure chest.
Captain FTP be $25 doubloons, and ye have a fortnight of demo time before ye puts the cash on the barrel of grog.
Panic has dropped Transmit 3.6, the latest version of the FTP app that we freakin' love here at TUAW. Included in the new version is all the great old stuff (droplets, and the "edit anything anywhere" ability), and the new features of Amazon S3 support and a "Copy URL web preview" (in which you can right click any file to automatically get a URL for it). There's also a whole host of bugfixes and improvements.
For most users, iWeb keeps things simple by creating and managing a single, all-encompassing site file stored in your home directory. The downside for anyone who would like to create more than one site with iWeb, however, is that the app doesn't offer any easy way to do so; users have to drill into ~/Library/Application Support/iWeb/ and either manually move or delete the single site file in that folder, or pick up an app like Multisite for iWeb or iWebSites. Both of these apps allow you to easily create independent iWeb site files that can be published to different local folders and subsequently uploaded with external FTP apps to anywhere you chose.
Fortunately, both apps have just been updated to work with the new iWeb '08, though note that iWebSites is at a 2.2 alpha stage, as the developer isn't positive all the kinks have been worked out yet. While I haven't used either of these apps, a quick perusal of their features sets reveals that iWebSites has a unique trick up its sleeve: it can merge two different iWeb site files into one, though it apparently can take a while. Anyone have experience with these apps?
Multisite for iWeb is available from Clarkwood Software for $19.95 with a demo available, while iWebSites is offered as donationware from Cocoadrillo Software.
The much-hyped (and little-used-- it's still in private beta) FTP client Flow has gotten a website, complete with a feature list, and some interesting screencasts about how the app will let you let Flow work with a browser, transfer files (remember that, the only thing FTP clients used to do?), and even edit and preview files on the fly.
I have to admit that it all looks pretty nifty (the Dropmarks system sounds cool-- drag a file to a bookmark icon, and it'll send that file out for you, complete with a tiny dialogue), but there's not a lot here that might yet lure me away from just using Cyberduck for free. The editor is probably the biggest draw, but even then, I can't yet see anything here that I can't really accomplish using some combo of TextMate and Transmit.
Still, can't judge a book by its cover, and can't just an editor without actually using it. Flow is still in private beta, with a release upcoming.
I have to say, as much as everyone whined about the lack of an iPhone SDK, I am nothing but impressed at how far people are bending over backwards to provide functionality to the iPhone. Yes it makes you wonder how much we could do if there was an SDK, but on the other hand, developers are really showing us just how much can be done with just a browser.
Take, for example, the Xbox Media Center iPhone Remote. If you're still using your old Xbox as a media center, Tom Robinson has devised a setup that will let you actually log in to your Xbox from your iPhone, essentially using the iPhone as a very expensive (but very functional) remote control. Basically, you FTP the code onto your Xbox (or just install it over the web), and then login to the Xbox's IP from MobileSafari, and you can use it to browse media, view information on playing media, and even use transport and audio controls. Wild.
My only question is how secure this is-- without having used it, it seems like all you need to get full access to the Xbox is the IP address. There may be something in the code that confines access to a local network, but if you can install this script from the web, it seems like you could also log in to control an Xbox from afar after it's been installed. At any rate, it's a really interesting idea, and just another example of how creative people are getting in developing functionality on the iPhone.