Post-Sneakernet file transfers!
May 14, 2008 7:32 PM   Subscribe

I need to send files (photography, some in archives) to a few people on the internet. I just want to share images quickly, without using something like AIM or email. (Currently trying Pidgin, it keeps crapping out.) What are my options?

I have access to their computer as well as my own, (they are local) but in our brainstorming sessions we need to be able to share things relatively quickly. In the past we've tried doing things through instant messaging programs, but they have proven fairly unreliable and finicky. Email has too many restrictions, size among them.

Is there dedicated software that behave like an instant messenger, but for files? Specifically images, that would show up on the other user's screen when the transfer completes?
posted by Phyltre to Computers & Internet (11 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
Wouldn't box.net work? Or create a gmail account and then give everyone the password.
posted by cda at 7:43 PM on May 14, 2008


There's also drop.io, which is free up to 100MB.
posted by chengjih at 7:53 PM on May 14, 2008


I use divshare
posted by beckish at 7:54 PM on May 14, 2008


I've tried many Web file hosting services, and MediaFire is the most elegant, drop-dead-simple, no-registration-required file-hosting site I've come across.
posted by killdevil at 8:05 PM on May 14, 2008 [1 favorite]


I use yousendit.com on a regular basis.
posted by bottlerocket at 8:15 PM on May 14, 2008


If what you're sharing is mostly images, or can be done that way, there's always image sharing sites. Photobucket, Flickr, Picasa, anything like that should work.
posted by theichibun at 8:20 PM on May 14, 2008


rcp and the more modern, encrypted version, scp, are pretty close to what you're describing: direct point-to-point file transfers.

scp implementations are included by default as part of the OpenSSH package on most non-Windows systems (Linux, Mac OS X, BSD, etc.), and there are free versions you can download for Windows if that's the way you roll.

I move pretty large files around via scp all the time, and it's very fast -- on most modern machines, using anything other than gigabit Ethernet, you'll be bottlenecking at the network before you start hitting encryption bottlenecks. And if you don't care about encryption (say you're on a LAN), you can disable it.

There's a lot of information around the net on it, since it's a very popular little utility. One of the only downsides is that it doesn't traverse NAT automatically, so if your source/destination machines aren't on the same network you'll need to configure your gateways appropriately.
posted by Kadin2048 at 8:39 PM on May 14, 2008


Lifehacker just had a showdown on this subject; the top 5 nominees are here.
posted by LuckySeven~ at 11:42 PM on May 14, 2008


Seconding Yousendit.com. Been using it for years without a hitch.
posted by Thorzdad at 5:02 AM on May 15, 2008


Hotmail now has something called Skydrive which offers 5 Gb of online storage accessible through a hotmail account. It has a file size limit of 50Mb and the files can be shared.
posted by JJ86 at 6:07 AM on May 15, 2008


I've had good luck w/ yousendit.com as well
posted by Lukenlogs at 11:27 PM on June 10, 2008


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