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With a small, 20KB image file,
chances are you won't notice much difference between a
high-speed and a dial-up Internet connection.
But say you want to download a
22MB software program. To download the file using a
high-quality 56K dial-up connection would take, roughly
speaking, a couple of hours. The same 22MB file can be
downloaded in a matter of minutes with a high-speed DSL or
cable Internet connection.
In the case of a Web download,
the only real decision is "do I download it, or not?".
And, as we mentioned, when you need to manage the files on
your Web site, FTP is the way to go. But when you're
sending a file, you have two options: email and FTP. How
do you choose?
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Use an email attachment if the
file is less than 2MB, and the person you're sending it
to is expecting it.
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FTP the file to your web space
(for the recipient to download) if the file is larger
than 2MB, or if you want to email a list of people,
giving them the option of whether to download.
We'll discuss how to send and
receive files later in Tips for
Transferring Files, but first, let's take a minute to
consider the pitfalls of sending large email attachments.
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