Subject: Re: ftp and tar annoyances (fwd)
To: None <current-users@NetBSD.ORG>
From: None <tooleym@Douglas.BC.CA>
List: current-users
Date: 11/13/1997 14:59:30
> Thus spake Brad Salai
> > As for ftp, mget is a nice idea, but it asks you to confirm that you still
> > want  each file as it comes up. This makes it impossible to just get a
> > collection of files, either by matching a pattern, or listing the files,
> > without sitting there.
> > 
> > This arises in collecting up the tarballs, so it gets me frequently.
> > 
> > Again, not the end of the world, but it could be easier.
> 
> It certainly could be and if you type "prompt" before doing mget you will
> see exactly how much easier it is.  :-)

Run ftp with the -i option like so:

ftp -i

And the annoying prompts it keeps asking you for will not begin with from
the start. Also, writing scripts is much simpler too.

However, there is a slight problem I've noticed with some (perhaps not all,
just the ones I've used) versions of ftp and that is that a recursive mget
from a remote site will receive the files, but not the directory structure.

I'm probably just doing something wrong..  but I sure hate rewriting
software just to suit myself. I'm a standard kind of guy.

Marc
tooleym@douglas.bc.ca