Hopkins in Cyberspace By Mike Field Most of us know at least one person who seems to be completely at ease with computers. It's not just that he or she is computer literate mind you, it's that annoying habit of peppering conversations with sentences like: "Oh you're still using that old program? I just downloaded the gizmomaniac software from State U. and it takes up less room on my hard drive, runs a lot faster, plus it automatically fills out my income taxes every year." Yeah, right. How is it these folks keep coming up with new programs and nifty little software packages that do everything from games to number crunching? Isn't software something that you have to buy at the computer store, something that comes in a box? Don't you have to pay for these things? Well, not necessarily. One of the great benefits of being part of the Internet is the ability to transfer files--including software you can run on your own computer--from one source to another. In fact, transferring files is one of the primary reasons the Net was created in the first place. That, along with e-mail and remote computer login (known as telnet), is still the basis for most operations that take place in cyberspace. Accessing and transferring a file--which can be either a straight text file such as the U.S. Constitution or a software program such as Mosaic or Gopher--is a relatively straightforward matter. But that doesn't necessarily mean it's easy. Transferring files involves using ftp or file transfer protocol, one of the three basic Internet protocols (the other two being telnet and e-mail). Remember, a protocol is just a set of definitions governing how different computers on the Internet will act when talking with each other. As is so often the case in cyberspace, ftp only becomes complicated when trying to deal with all the many different kinds of computers and computer languages that exist out there. Learning to ftp is a fundamental skill in successfully using the Internet to its fullest capabilities. Even users with the lowest level of Internet connectivity (that is, those users who have e-mail but nothing else) can take advantage of a nifty program called ftpmail developed at the Digital Western Research Laboratory. Ftpmail allows e-mailers with limited connectivity to connect with and retrieve files from remote ftp sites, but such connections are both cumbersome and extremely slow (as in several days). For Internet users with more complete connectivity (which would include most users at Hopkins) plain old ftp is the way to go. Your local computer service provider may have prepared information on how to ftp. The Welch Medical Library, for instance, has prepared a handy one-page instruction set (no. 7, titled "Anonymous FTP") giving basic information on how to access and transfer files using the ftp protocol. Internet books such as Ed Krol's The Whole Internet devote entire chapters to the ins and outs of ftp. Next week, we will explore the use of file transfer protocol by visiting an ftp site and retrieving an appropriate file. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Special E-Mail Notice for Gazette Readers ----------------------------------------------------------------- Use E-Mail to Reach "Gazette" Offices The Gazette's e-mail address, which has been inactive for the past few weeks, is now active. The address is: gazette@resource.ca.jhu.edu. It is important for readers to note that this e-mail address is intended for calendar items, notices, news releases and letters only and not for placing classified ads. To place a classified ad use: gazads@resource.ca.jhu.edu. -----------------------------------------------------------------