FTP for beginners -- and non-beginners, too!

The wiki article FTP for Beginners is a great primer on the technical and functional aspects of using FTP. It goes through the most important things an FTP user needs to know in an easy-to-understand -- and sometimes entertaining -- format. (One section, called "Check Out the Logs on That Server!", made me laugh. Maybe I'm just tired, but I thought it was funny.)

I've been using FTP since I started learning web design in high school. Back then, I was a Windows person and I used an FTP client called WS FTP. I'm pretty sure I downloaded it from one of those scary pirated software websites that I wouldn't dare even visit today, but was all the rage back in 2000. I found it pretty easy to use, but never understood what the logs actually meant or what the difference was between ASCII and binary. You don't need to know what these things mean to be able to FTP, but I enjoy and appreciate knowing the significance of these technical terms as I study the art and science of web design.

(The next paragraph is really just a rant about my current FTP client and has nothing to do with the "FTP for Beginners" article.)

Currently, I use the FTP offered through my home version of the antiquated Adobe GoLive CS. I hate it. The thing froze up on me no less than a dozen times while I was trying to update my online portfolio this weekend. I can't wait to get my hands on a shiny new version of Dreamweaver CS3 (though I hope my old iBook G4 can keep up).