The ubiquitousness of email today ca-ca it easy to send lowly file to anyone — you but attach the file ( or several files ) to an e-mail message and the receiver receive the files a few minutes later . But what if the files you need to mail are heavy ? Many email supplier have limits on attachment size , and even when they do n’t , seek to receive ( or even transmit ) a 20 megabit data file can be a rough-and-tumble .
One way to channelize large data file is to use the filing cabinet - sharing features build into most modernistic operating system ; for example , Mac OS X put up Personal File Sharing , Windows Sharing , and even FTP . you may either upload files forthwith to another person ’s computer or tolerate the someone to download the files directly from your Mac . Unfortunately , doing so need a snatch of setup , and if either computer is behind a router or firewall , that adds another level of complexity — and another roadblock to accomplishing your goal .
A few month ago , I underwrite DropCopy , which is still my favorite direction to shift file between Macs on a local mesh ; however , it ’s not ideal for long - space file transfer . Macworld reader Madeleine recently told me about Yellow Mug Software ’s $ 15FileChute 2.0.2 ( ) , and if you frequently send bigger files to others across the net , it ’s the well-fixed solution I ’ve seen : It automatically copies file to a waiter of your choosing and then provides the appropriate download uniform resource locator for you to give to the recipient role .
FileChute works best with a .Mac account , but it also work with Earthlink , WebDAV , and FTP servers . When you first set in motion FileChute , it walks you through the frame-up operation . For .Mac accounts , it can automatically expend the history information in the .Mac window glass of System Preferences ; for other types of server ( or to use a .Mac account other than your default ) , you enter the waiter , username , and parole . The fields at the bottom of the windowpane show you the URLs FileChute will apply for upload and download filing cabinet .
Once you ’ve finished the one - metre setup procedure , FileChute is quick to go . You just drop a file or folder , or a group of files or folders , onto the “ fall zone ” in the FileChute window . If you ’re uploading multiple files / folders ( or if you ’re uploading a exclusive large file you ’d like to compress ) , you prefer the type of archive FileChute will create—.dmg , .tar , or .zip . you could also choose the name of the uploaded file or archive . FileChute then mechanically uploads the file to your iDisk or other host ( you see the forward motion of the upload in the FileChute windowpane ) and display the appropriate download universal resource locator , which you may drop behind - and - dip or written matter - and - spread into an email message to charge to the receiver . The recipient simply fall into place on that link to download the single file archive via their vane web web browser .
If you have multiple servers configured , you upload to a particular server by choosing it from the bug out - up menu before dropping your file(s ) . you could also assign a password to .dmg archives create by FileChute .
Since you in all probability do n’t want data file taking up space on your iDisk or waiter long after they ’ve been download , FileChute offers several options for cleaning house . In FileChute ’s preferences , you’re able to choose a default “ exit date”—based on the number of Day since a Indian file was upload — of 1 to 30 days ; a quick press the big red “ X ” release in FileChute ’s main windowpane deletes all expired files . Via the Show Files button , you could view all the FileChute - upload file presently on your host and then delete individual files immediately . ( A decent option here is the ability to create a new electronic mail with a connectedness to any FileChute - upload file on the server . )
When used with a .Mac account , FileChute work seamlessly . However , using a WebDAV or FTP server can be guileful , because some server are set up to apply URL that differ from real file cabinet paths ; if this is the case , when you do up a server in FileChute , you ’ll involve to alter the Upload and Download URLs to match your waiter . Also note that although Mac OS X provides a built - in FTP server , using FileChute with that server can be hard , specially if your Mac is behind a firewall or router or if your IP destination changes oft .
FileChute works with Mac OS X 10.3 ( Panther ) or mellow and is a Universal Binary .