Hi:
 
There are many ways to transfer documents in either ASCII (plain text) or
binary form.
 
FTP  (file transfer protocol) is probably the fastest and most reliable
means of moving files.
.
However, you need FTP software setup on either your own or your Server's
Computer.  Also, unless you set up an automatic download, folks who are
unfamiliar with the FTP procedure won't know how to access
your files.
 
Some Web sites incorporate automated FTP.  Also, you can always put your
document into a Web Page.  Then, anyone with access to the Web can read
and at their choice print or copy the document.  Several current Word
Processors will now automatically convert documents into an HTML file
format for a Web page.
 
Attachements to e-mail work, but I have learned to really hate these.  Ok,
attached files in ASCII format should always transfer with no problems
(all computers recognize ASCII - Macs, PCs, Unix boxes).  Stick to ASCII
and I won't complain unless you dump a long, unsolicited file on me.
 
But ASCII files drop out formatting information, so they look rather
plain, and most of us want to send the document that we made in our word
processor or to send a copy of a document with figures and graphs.  Most
of these documents are produced and saved in a binary format.
 
In theory, you can transfer binary files as attachments (but these often
turn out to be a problem and can be a real headache.  If you and I use the
same type of computer and similar mail packages, and if I use either the
same word processing software or one that can translate your document,
everything works.  But if you use a Mac, and your Server is a VMS machine,
and I use a PC and my server is a UNIX box, and oh yes, I use Word Perfect
and you use Microsoft Word, the odds are that I can't read your file.
In fact, I often get binary files that crash or lock up my system.
Because of the work that I do, people are always sending me large, binary
files.  If someone would standardize all of the compression routines and
word processor output formats, we'd have no problems - but standardization
is far from being a reality.
 
Bottom line, I can always get, read, print, and save your ASCII attachment
(or delete it if I wish).  But, my success rate with Binary files sent
either as a Binary or Mime file format is less than 50%.  Just because
your system sent it doesn't mean that I can use it.
 
Given this problem confounded by the fact that my Server provides only a
limited amount of space for incoming mail (so if I get several long
attachments in a single day, all of my mail dumps), and you see why I am
biased against unsolicited e-mail attachments.
 
Personally, I like FTP or Web Pages for this task.
 
Cheers
 
Jerry Bromenshenk
The University of Montana-Missoula
[log in to unmask]
http://grizzly.umt.edu/biology/bees