F*EX 20111129

F*EX is a service to send big (large, huge, giant, ...) files from a user A to a user B.

The sender uploads the file to the F*EX server using a WWW upload form and the recipient automatically gets a notification e-mail with a download-URL.

You say:

 Why do I need another service for file transfer?!
 I have e-mail, ftp, ssh and even sendfile!

I say:

 You still need F*EX

For example, you want to send your friend your last holiday video (1 GB). You have the following possibilities (and problems):

sending a DVD by postal service

Out of the question - we live in the year 39 after invention of the internet! Sending media (hardware) is for grandpas.

using e-mail

Most e-mail servers have a limit of 10 MB per e-mail and a storage-quota of a few 100 MB per user or even less.

uucp

Why not cuneiform writing on stone plates?

ssh

You have your friends password or you are willing to give him yours - just for a file transfer?

ftp

 o Using which ftp server?
 o Using which account, which password?
 o You do not mind sending unencrypted passwords and files over the insecure internet?
 o Your proxy supports passive-ftp?
 o In case of anonymous ftp:
 + Does it allow 1 GB uploads?
 + Does it allow to delete the upload afterwards?
 + Who else can download your file?
 + Who else can delete your file?
 + You have to send your friend the download-URL, he has to inform you about the successful download, you have to delete it afterwards. All in all: a pain in the ass.

http

 o No default upload and user management - must be programmed
 o No auto-notification
 o No auto-deletion
 o Nearly all http servers cannot handle files greater than 2 GB

sendfile

 o You run UNIX and have sendfile installed?
 o Your recipient runs UNIX and has sendfile installed?
 o Neither you nor your recipient has a firewall blocking port 487?

commercial services like DropLoad, ALLPeers, YouSendIt, etc

 o What limit do they have (most: < 2 GB)?
 o What about security and privacy: will your files be save and secure?
 o Are they open source based or closed proprietary?
 o Are they accessible with any browser or do you need java, active-X, flash or other evil plugins?
 o Will they exist longer than a few month?
 (DropLoad and ALLPeers already have terminated their business)


Product's homepage

Here are some key features of "F*EX":

· file transfer of virtually unlimited file size
· recipient and sender only need an e-mail program and a web browser - of any kind, they do not have to install any software
· (the F*EX server itself is UNIX based)
· RESEND and REGET for resuming after link failures at last sent byte
· auto-notification of recipient
· auto-deletion after download
· auto-deletion after expiration date (default: 5 days)
· full-users can create sub-users, who can send only to this full-user
· maintenance-free: no admin interaction necessary besides creating new F*EX accounts
· Sending to multiple recipients needs storage on the server only once
· F*EX is a HTTP web-service and needs no firewall-tunnels
· support for streams, too
· for real UNIX users, there are the shell programs fexsend and fexget to avoid annoying web browser usage
· protocol and source-code free available (GPL)

What's New in This Release: [ read full changelog ]

· Support for Firefox 7 (and later) has been added to upload files greater than 4 GB.
· A registered user can create a one time upload key (URL), which he can give unregistered users.
· The admin can forbid certain recipient addresses and restrict uploading or downloading to certain hosts.
· The user or admin can limit bandwidth usage.
· The GUI client schwuppdiwupp comes with integrated tar, zip, and 7zip support.
· Italian and Czech localizations have been added.
· Once again, several small bugs have been fixed.