But behind the scenes is the server's administrator, some guy working tirelessly to maintain the structure and integrity of the machines directories. He/she will plough through the masses of submissions in the "Incoming" directory, collate and classify and re-locate the files into directories more relevant to the program's purpose. The administrator must also take great care to ensure that no copyright material is distributed and, depending on the server, that no morally questionable files are made available.
As you can probably appreciate, it's a tedious job, but these guys do it! I was curious as to just what it was like to be burdened with such a task, so I contacted Gerry Menzies, the administrator of HawkFTP, for his thoughts and comments.
HawkFTP is one of the lesser known Amiga file-servers on the Internet, with most people opting for Aminet (the largest collection of files on the entire 'net). Gerry established HawkFTP to bring some important and often invaluable files closer to a small group of Amigans who chose to use Internet-FCI as their ISP. Then HawkFTP just grew and grew! Gerry does not wish to compete with Aminet, nor does he deliberately try to copy their format, but remarkable similarities exist all the same.
I've found HawkFTP to be invaluable, I no longer have to wade through the voluminous directories of Aminet to find a new program, no do I have to suffer poor cps-rates when there's heavy traffic.
So it's over to Gerry to discover just what's involved behind the scenes of this new, but flourishing resource. Read on to here Gerry's story ...
HawkFTP actually came into existance in the middle of October 1996. The
idea for HawkFTP came from Eden Akhavi of IFCI and Mat Bettinson of CU-Amiga Magazine. I was
asked if I would be interested in running an FTP site for the Amiga users
of INTERNET-FCI, to replace the small area that was already there.The details,construction and running of the site was left to me, with any help and advice available from Eden and Mat. The only rule as such was that it should not contain any illegal software.
It seemed an easy task to set up the site at first, but the major question was what directories should be included, should I just copy the complete AMINET layout or pick what would be the most popular directories for the FCI users. After a long time I decided to go for what seemed to be the most popular/regularly used ones from asking other users.
The FTP site as you see it now, with some added directories was created and up and running from 1st November 1996. It was also thought to be a good idea to send a list of all the recent uploads for the day/week as a text file to the IFCIAmiga mailing-list so people knew what was there. This has been done and seems to work okay.
The main idea is for the site to provide files for Amiga users of IFCI, they are 95% available on AMINET as well, but the slight advantage of HawkFTP is the cps speeds obtainable. It in no way holds all the files uploaded to AMINET on a daily basis, and I doubt it ever will, but that was never the intention behind its construction in the first place.
All the files that you find on HawkFTP have mostly been uploaded by FCI users and Eden, without these people's continued support, the site would not have consumed so much HD space as it has, and I am extremely grateful to all concerned for their support.
One main advantage of HawkFTP is that any FCI user can ask for a directory to be created that they feel will be useful to themselves and others, like the recently created The Lair! directory. [This is used to provide for the off-line readable and back issues services which I've just introduced with this issue - Ed]
There is a mis-conception that I am employed by FCI to run the site, I do not get paid by FCI, they do not pay my phone bill, although I wish they did :-). I do not get any better connects, I do suffer the same, infamous BT problems as everyone else. That said, there are certain things that I do get, but that is something that is between myself and FCI. [Yeah, like the Ferrari and the holiday villa in the Bahamas :-) - Ed]
The enjoyable parts of running the site are many and the e-mails I receive from people saying how useful it is e.t.c., makes it all worthwhile.
As for the future of HawkFTP, well at the moment, without giving too much away, there is going to be a World-Wide Web front end, which I have recently tested and it's looking good, and a searcher for the site which is being coded at the moment. Followed by world domination of the Internet :-), well maybe not, but hopefully it will continue to grow and supply FCI users with a valuable place for their file needs.