Where there is a choice of sites offering the same software, it's usually a good idea to retrieve from the nearest site. It's faster for you and good for the network environment. For instance, if you are in Europe, give preference to a European site over an American one. Learn how to handle compressed files and other formats If you retrieve files from ftp archives, you will soon come across compressed and archived file formats. Compressing files, or packaging up multiple files into a single archive file, is common practice.
Files take up less storage space and are quicker and easier to transfer.
To compress a file requires compression software. When you retrieve such a file, normally you will need to have complementary decompression software to restore the file to its original form. When you retrieve a file which has undergone one of these processes, note the file extension because this gives a clue to the software needed to restore the file to its original form. See the table File formats and associated software for additional detail. Within each platform, programs are grouped under categories such as Audio, Browsers, Communications, Connectivity, Email, HTML Tools, Multimedia, Security, etc. and a search facility is available.