You ’re out in the boonies , and you ’ve dumbfound to send a huge file—100 MB , lease ’s say — but you have no true , high - speeding way to do it . Maybe the Internet joining you have is slow or intermittent . peradventure your attack aircraft carrier has blocked FTP service . Or peradventure your east - mail service supplier limits the size of attachments . as luck would have it , you still have several ways to get that data where it need to go .
The need for speed
The first , and most obvious , footmark is to compress the data file so you screw exactly how bountiful a chore you ’re present . For most of us , Allume ’s StuffIt Deluxe (; March 2005 ) is the default tool .
The next thing to do is involve yourself how tight your connection is . If your upload speed is measure in kilobits per second , fraction it by 8,192 to render it into megabytes per second . Now divide your compressed file ’s size ( in megabytes ) by the megabyte - per - second charge per unit to receive out approximately how long , in seconds , it will take to upload your file . For good example , let ’s say I have a 125 - Kbps connection and a 100 megabit file : the upload should take 6,554 seconds — or about an hour and 49 minute .
Alternative connections
If that ’s more time than you have , you should regard other opening :
Cellular ServiceIf your cell earpiece plump for Bluetooth ( or if you have an appropriate transmission line ) , you’re able to use it as your modem ( seeGet Online with a Cell Phone ) . Although cellular data speeds are usually wearisome than dial - up , some newer phone are faster . But you ’ll need to have a data point - service plan from your provider , which can be rather expensive .
you could also grease one’s palms a PC Card cellular modem , which punch mightily into your PowerBook ’s PC wag slot . This selection , too , require planning forwards .
HotspotsEven the small , most out - of - the - style towns often have at least one cybercafé — and that intend a comparatively fast wireless connection . Look for signs in the windows of coffee bean shop , eating place , airports , gearing stations , and bus or ferryboat terminals .
New FriendsIf neither the cellular nor the hotspot selection is available , look for people . If you ’re at an aerodrome or a craft show , for representative , a nearby laptop user may have a faster connection than you . It never hurt to require , and a new acquaintance may be willing to upload a file cabinet for you .
Free ComputersAlmost every public and university library has Internet - tie computer usable to patrons ; many of those connections are comparatively quick . you may also look for retail establishments that make Net - connected computers available to the public . I ’ve establish them at photocopy shops , information processing system stores , hotel , bookstores , and museums .
If you ’re prevailing upon the kindness of strangers or using a barren figurer , you ’ll require a way to get the file from your Mac to the 2d system . If wireless networking or Bluetooth are n’t option , an iPod , a USB flash drive , an Ethernet cable’s length , or optical discs may follow in handy ( see “ Be Prepared ” on next varlet ) .
One file, many paths
If the arithmetic you did to bump out how long your filing cabinet would take to encumbrance order you that you’re able to theoretically send your huge file in a reasonable amount of time , FTP is one of the best choice . But ISPs sometimes place limits on what you could do with FTP .
If you attempt to transfer your file via file transfer protocol but ca n’t , your provider may be blocking port 21 ( probably in an effort to ameliorate overall mesh operation ) . you may find out for certain by spread out Terminal and entering
Creative uploading
When FTP is n’t an option , there are other possibilities .
Online Storage SpaceIf your ISP does n’t extend FTP services , you’re able to buy on-line storage space from companies such asStrongspaceandLeapFile . Such services are accessible via a Web web browser app or an FTP or SFTP client .
File - Transfer ServicesIf you may crop the Web , you may examine a entanglement - based file - transfer service ( see “ File - Transfer Services ” on next page ) . After uploading your file , you mail — or , in some cases , the service sends — a subject matter to the recipient with a particular uniform resource locator that the file can be downloaded from .
iChatDon’t forget that iChat AV lets you post files to the person you ’re chatting with ; merely drag and drop the file into your iChat window . If you may reach a friend via iChat , he or she may be able-bodied to forward the file along to its last destination .
E - mailMany e - chain mail systems place limit on the size of attachments . alas , there ’s no gentle way to tell in advance what those limit might be — your ISP and your recipient ’s ISP may both impose limit , and those bound may be per content , per story , or both .
If no single tool allow you send a data file in its entirety , you may always separate it into modest segments and then post each one separately . StuffIt Deluxe makes this easy : Instead of just compressing your file , choose Translate : Segment , and then select a file . Choose the hope segment size from the Segment Size pop out - up carte ( 5 MB is commonly safe ) and a compression format ( StuffItX or StuffIt5 , calculate on what your recipient role has ) from the Format menu . Then tick on Choose .
Don’t give up
It may take a chip of creative thinking and a routine of extra effort , but where there ’s a will , there ’s almost sure as shooting a means to get expectant data file to their destinations .
Be prepared
If there ’s the slight hazard you ’ll have to send out a huge file while you ’re on the route , be trusted to pack :
phone and Ethernet cables(for take a shit whatever pumped connections you could )
an iPod , a pocket hard drive , or a USB flash drive(for file transfers )
blank CDs or DVDs
your favourite FTP client(I like Panic ’s $ 30Transmit [ ] )
a Windows FTP client(check the Windows sections ofVersionTrackerorShareware.com ) on a candela , in casing you have to channel data file via a PC with no FTP client
Allume ’s StuffIt Deluxe , which can compress file ( an essential first step that many utilities can execute ) and divide great file into smaller segments , give you more transfer options
File-transfer services
If neither tocopherol - mail nor FTP is executable , consider a entanglement - ground Indian file - conveyance service . After using your World Wide Web web browser to upload one or more files , you get a private link from which the file can be download ; you could then charge the link to your filing cabinet ’s think recipient .
The services lean here are devoid , but some proffer larger file - size limits , greater bandwidth , or other benefits for a fee . Some also admit e - chain mail telling for the recipient . Most offer hot advancement indicant , but these indicators rarely work in the Mac browser app I tested ( Safari , Firefox , OmniWeb , and Opera)—even when the uploads themselves succeed .
- Both are text only .
[ Joe Kissell has written numerous due east - book aboutMac OS X software . ]
