One of the best things about the Web is that you can download files from it. These files can be applications, graphics, MP3 files, text files, updaters, or any other file you can think of. Downloading files is simple; the only two areas that might give you some trouble are finding the files that you download and preparing them for use. The general process for downloading and preparing files is the following:
NOTE Because of Mac OS X's Unix underpinnings, this step can be a little more complicated than it has been in past versions of the OS. Fortunately, most of this time, this process is relatively automatic. You have to intervene manually only infrequently. There are two basic ways to download files. You can use a Web browser to download files or you can use an FTP client to download files from FTP and other sites. Using a Web browser to download files is simpler, but it is also slower. A dedicated FTP client can dramatically speed up file downloading. For information about configuring and using the Interarchy FTP application, see "Downloading Files Better with Interarchy," p. 359. Configuring a Downloads FolderBy default, your Web browser will store files you download in the Desktop folder in your Home directory (and thus, they appear on your desktop). If this isn't where you want downloaded files to be stored, it is a good idea to create a folder into which your Web browser will always download files. That way, you will always know where to find the files that you download, and they won't clutter your desktop. NOTE Because a directory is modified when you store files in it, you must use a directory that you have permissions to write to. On your Mac OS X startup volume, you are limited to downloading files to a directory within your Home directory. However, you can choose a file outside your Mac OS X startup volume if you want. If you want other users of your machine to be able to access the files you download, you can use your Public folder as your downloads folder. There are two ways to specify a downloads folder. If you use the System Preferences utility, you can specify a downloads folder for all of your Internet applications to use. You can also set a downloads folder from within the applications themselves. Setting a Global Downloads FolderTo set a global downloads folder, use the following steps:
NOTE Setting a downloads folder in the System Preferences utility doesn't always get carried into the particular applications you use. For example, setting a download folders page in the System Preferences utility does not set the downloads folder in Internet Explorer you have to set the downloads folder within Internet Explorer itself. Setting the Downloads Folder from within Internet ExplorerYou can also select a downloads folder from within a Web browser, such as Internet Explorer.
Downloading Files Using Internet Explorer's Download ManagerDownloading files is as simple as anything gets on the Mac. Internet Explorer uses its Download Manager window to work with files you are downloading. Just click the download link for the file you want to download. TIP You can download multiple files at the same time. Start one; then, move back to a Web window and move to the next and start it downloading. You can also continue to browse the Web while your files are downloading. The speed will decrease a bit (or a lot if you are using a dial-up Internet account), but at least you can do something while the file is downloading. Some sites simply provide the file's name as its link, whereas others provide a Download button. Whatever way it is done, finding the link to click to begin the download process is usually simple. After you click the link to begin the download, the Download Manager window will open and in it you will see the progress of the file you are downloading (see Figure 13.9). For each file, you will see its name, the download status, the time it took to download, and the amount of data that was transferred. Figure 13.9. The Download Manager window provides the information and tools you need to manage your downloads.TIP You can change the column widths in the Download Manager window by pointing to the line between columns, pressing the mouse button, and dragging. NOTE If you use a slow Internet connection, such as a dial-up account, downloading large files can take a long time. If the process is interrupted for some reason, you might have to start all over again. In some cases, you can resume the download (you'll learn how later in this section). After the download is complete, Internet Explorer will try to prepare the file that downloaded so that you can use it. Much of the time, this works automatically, but in some situations, you will have to perform this task manually. This process can be somewhat complicated depending on the file you download. For information on manually preparing downloaded files for use, see "Preparing Files for Use," p. 350. TIP A quick way to switch windows is by pressing +~. This is a good way to jump between the Download Manager window and your other Web windows. You can also move directly into the Download Manager by pressing +4. In order for your files to be automatically processed after download, you can configure the Download Manager using the Internet Explorer Preferences window.
You can use tools in the Download Manager window to work with files you have downloaded, or were trying to download. For example, if something happens while you are trying to download a file, you can attempt to reload it. To work with files you have downloaded from the Download Manager window, select the file and choose File, Get Info (+I). The info window for the item will open (see Figure 13.10). Figure 13.10. A downloading item's info window provides tools you can use to work with it while it is being downloaded or after the download process is complete.The info window enables you to do the following:
TIP You can use the tools in the Info window to work together. For example, to save a file that you have downloaded to another place, open its info window, use the Change button to save it in a new location, and then click Reload to download it again. Preparing Files for UseMost files you download are encoded and compressed. Encoding is the process of translating an application or other file into a plain text file so that it can be transferred across the Internet. Compressing a file is a process that makes the file's size smaller so that it can be transferred across the Internet more quickly. Before you can use a file you have downloaded, it must be decoded and it might also need to be uncompressed. Depending on the kind of file it is, these two actions might be done at the same time or they might have to be handled separately. An application is required for both tasks; most of the time a single application can handle them while occasionally the file might need to be uncompressed with one application and decoded with another. Understanding File Extensions for Compressed FilesKnowing what will happen in any situation requires that you understand the types of files you are likely to download. You can determine this by the filename extension. The most common extensions with which you will have to deal are listed in Table 13.1.
Aladdin's StuffIt application is the dominant application for compressing, uncompressing, decoding, and encoding Mac files. The freeware application StuffIt Expander is included with Mac OS X to enable you to deal with compressed and encoded files that you download. StuffIt Expander can handle almost all the file formats listed in Table 13.1. So, most of the time, you will use StuffIt Expander to prepare the files you download for use. Because Mac OS X is based on Unix, you can also use files that use the .tar and .gz formats as well. Preparing these files can be a bit more complicated (if StuffIt Expander doesn't work) because you have to use Unix commands to prepare them. To learn how to use Unix commands to prepare a file you have downloaded, see Chapter 9, "Unix: Working with the Command Line," p. 213. Manually Preparing a File for UseAlthough you can rely on the preconfigured helper applications to handle most of the files you download, it is useful to know how to manually decode and uncompress files you download so that you can handle them yourself and you can better understand how to configure a helper application to do it for you. By default, Internet Explorer will attempt to launch the appropriate helper application to handle files you download. If a file you download can be handled successfully by the helper application, it will be prepared and you will find a usable version of it in the same folder as the one to which it was downloaded.
CAUTION If the StuffIt Expander icon doesn't become highlighted when you drag a file onto it, that file type cannot be handled with the free version of the StuffIt application. If the file is a Unix file, use the Unix tools to prepare it. Otherwise, you will probably have to upgrade to StuffIt Deluxe to be able to work with the file. When the process is complete, you will see a new item in the same folder as the file you downloaded. If the original file contained more than one item, you will see a new folder containing the decoded and uncompressed items instead of a file. You can work with the uncompressed/decoded items just like any other items on your Mac. For example, if a file expands into a folder, you can open that folder to work with the files in it. If the file expands into an .img file, you can double-click that file to mount the disk image on your Mac. TIP You can also prepare a file by launching StuffIt Expander and choosing Expand from its File menu. For almost all the files you download, even the manual process is just that simple. Occasionally, you might run into a file on which this process doesn't work. In such a case, you have to try another tool (such as a Unix command or the StuffIt Deluxe application). Configuring StuffIt ExpanderA bit of configuration of StuffIt Expander will make this process even less difficult.
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