Getting Files using World Wide Web

Module NA35h

For this exercise, you will need to find four files and download them. Getting files is discussed in "How to Get Files using Internet," module NA30c. We will be using a Web browser for this exercise, which will make things easier - you won't have to try using the FTP commands. Still, you may need to explore several sites and directories to find the type of file needed, so stick with it!

When searching for files, you often need to do some exploration before finding the precise file you want. This means you have to use any available clues, including "index" and "readme" files, directory lists, and vague directions about where something might be.

What to look for

An index file from any general software archive
A graphic file
An index or readme file from a corporate file archive
An executable (free or shareware) file

Here are some general archives you can try for getting the first pair of files:

University of Michigan software archives (gopher://gopher.archive.merit.edu:70/11/.software-archives)
Oakland University's OAK Software Repository (http://www.acs.oakland.edu/oak/oak.html)
Jim Knopf's shareware distributor's list (http://www.halcyon.com/knopf/distrib.htm)
Sharware.com (http://www.shareware.com)
File Dudes (http://www.filedudes.com/)

Here are some corporate archives for the second pair:

Microsoft, Inc. (ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/)
Digital Equipment Corp. (ftp://ftp.digital.com/)
Sun Microsystems, Inc. (http://www.sun.com/products-n-solutions/)
Netscape, Inc. (http://home.netscape.com/comprod/upgrades/index.html)

Please e-mail me a log showing:

Name of the four files
What archives you found them on
What sort of material each one contains (and whether it might be useful to you)
Any problems or difficulties you encountered.

About this document:

This document is part of a modular instruction series in Computer Information Systems. For more information, see the overview or the list of modules in this series, "NA". This document has been used in the following classes: CIS 160 "Explore the Internet"

Author:: Laurence J. Krieg, Washtenaw Community College
Date:: 23 Jan 98