Get Real, Would You?
Written: Dec 28 '00 (Updated Apr 14 '01)
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The Bottom Line
RealFTP has transformed itself into an ad-based free web host. Unfortunately, the implementation leaves much to be desired.
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Update: 4/7/2001. RealFTP is back in operation, and is still free. However, the service now imposes pop-up ads on members' web pages. Unfortunately, the JavaScript that spawns the advertisements does not implement cleanly, and the result is that random garbage characters appear on the members' web pages. LAP
RealFTP (http://www.realftp.com) is categorized as an online storage service. True to form, RealFTP does in fact provide 25 MB of free web-based storage to subscribers. While other services offer much more capacity for storing files (often as much as 150 or even 300 MB), RealFTP trumps them by offering some extras that make it well worth examining.
Signing up for an account is as simple as providing a name, an e-mail address, an account name, and a password. No other information is required. The storage space is activated immediately, though not all features are available initially. Within several hours of the account activation, all the services and features are available and work correctly.
For users with needs for more storage capacity, RealFTP offers very economical prices ranging from $3 per month ($32 per year) for 100 MB of storage to $30 per month ($320 per year) for a whopping 2 GB of space.
Transferring Files to and From the Web
In addition to a serviceable web-based file manager, RealFTP--as the name would imply--offers FTP (file transfer protocol) access for uploading and downloading files as well. Files can be stored online and shared with others in two different ways. For temporary file sharing, RealFTP supports an e-mail link to the file being shared. The recipient follows the link to download the file. The e-mail links expire after seven days.
For a relatively more permanent file sharing and group collaboration solution, RealFTP allows the account owner to create user folders and to grant upload and download permissions to these users. Each user receives an individual password to his or her folder, and the account owner has administrator privileges to all user folders.
More Than FTP and Online Storage
What makes RealFTP a really good deal is that in addition to online storage, the RealFTP account holder receives free web space for hosting personal web pages. This web space takes the form of http://www.realftp.com/username. If the user already has and specifies a home page when creating the RealFTP account, the URL will be redirected to the user’s current home page.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that RealFTP places neither banners nor pop-up ads on the free web pages. I was even more pleasantly surprised to find that RealFTP provides Active Server Pages (ASP) support including Access database integration as part of the free account.
Sure It’s Free, But Does It Work?
Perhaps surprisingly, yes. Every aspect of RealFTP works exactly as advertised. I created an account and within minutes had web-based access to my online storage. The FTP service took longer to activate, but as soon as it was activated, it worked perfectly. I created a web page in the Coffee Cup HTML Editor and used the built-in FTP client to upload the page to the RealFTP server. I included some ASP code in the page (a simple VBScript that delivers a different greeting depending on the time of day), and saved the page with the .asp extension.
When I launched the page from my new web space, the ASP code executed correctly. Uploading and downloading files from the account worked well both from the RealFTP web interface and from a separate FTP client (Expresso FTP). I was also able to access the FTP space from a command line prompt, since Windows has an intrinsic FTP client (though it is not very intuitive or appealing).
Not Perfect
Lest the reader conclude that RealFTP is a perfect free web host with 25 MB of storage and ASP support, I must point out several minor problems with the service. These include the documentation (or lack thereof), the web-based interface, and the actual features of the RealFTP service.
Spotty Documentation. RealFTP would be well-advised to hire a technical writer to beef up and clean up their online documentation. The text is sparse, often confusing, and replete with grammatical and spelling errors. A typical example is the stated objective of RealFTP, taken verbatim from the online documentation:
“To build RealFTP into a real handy file transfer, management and sharing on the Internet.”
Even more serious is the fact that the user is left virtually to his or her own devices as to how to access or use the features of the service. Although every feature I tried worked, there were minimal directions. While experienced webmasters will likely have few problems, novice users attempting to use this service are likely to be highly frustrated. There is no hand-holding on this site for newbies.
One at a Time, Please. The web-based file manager permits only a single file to be uploaded or downloaded at a time. This contrasts with other online storage services that allow multiple simultaneous uploads or downloads.
A Missing Feature or Two. Although RealFTP does support Access database integration via ASP, it does so with minimal support or instruction. This stands in stark contrast to the database help files and sample scripts offered by Brinkster, which also offers free web pages and 30 MB of storage without banners. RealFTP also apparently does not offer CGI support or support for any other server-based technologies besides ASP.
Bottom Line
The bottom line is that RealFTP provides both FTP and web-based file transfer support, free online storage, a free web space for personal home pages, ASP support, and database integration. Furthermore, RealFTP does this without requiring members to display pop-up windows or banner ads on their web pages. For a free service, despite its minor documentation and feature deficiencies, RealFTP is definitely a keeper.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
lap0530
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Location: Anderson, SC
Reviews written: 122
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Psychology and management professor and business consultant
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