Tiger Gets Secure, Fast File Transfers With iGet.

Security has become a big deal on personal computers in recent years. Moving files back and forth between computers requires a new level of security.

Often overlooked are Mac developers who focus on one thing, do it right, do it well, and make it work great on a Mac. Add iGet to the list.

I’ve been a Mac fan for only a few years, having been fully converted from the dark side by my wife who always seemed to get things done on heer Mac without fuss, or bother, or complications.

A few years ago I was trying to get some work done on my PC while swimming upstream against the rising waters of spyware, pop up ads, and constant virus cleaning.

In a fit of frustration, I used my wife’s Mac to upload some files (to our company’s Mac file server). Sneaker net got it started and I put my files on a CD, moved across the room to her Mac, and used a simple application she used to upload files.

The application is called iGet from Five Speed Software.

Trust me. There’s plenty of FTP and SFTP applications on the Windows side of the computing world, so I wasn’t expecting much from a Mac application.

iGet’s pop up window asked for an IP address or domain, a password, a login ID, and gave me a Connect button; sorta shimmering in that Mac OS X Aqua blue.

That’s it? There’s gotta be something missing, right? Wrong.

I gave iGet the right information and a few seconds later I was connected (and received that wonderful little message that said I’d connected at some kind of secure site with twenty gazillion bits of security or something).

To upload the file was a matter of selecting the file and clicking.

Whoa. I could get used to this kind of ease of use. So, browsed around a little bit using the Mac’s web browser. Then I asked my wife how often she ran her virus software and why there were no pop up ads while I browsed. Was it some kind of ‘Mac trick?’

She just smiled and asked me if I was done using her computer.

It was a whole new world and I owe it all to Five Speed’s iGet. Now, don’t get me wrong. The Mac has plenty of file transfer applications, too. iGet is one of many.

But there are, as I found out by using the Mac, differences. Important differences.

First, iGet is a Mac-only file transfer tool. It’s ultra secure. And as intuitive as you get without dumping files into a bag and handing them to a courier.

iGet lets Mac users move files between Macs without using the basic FTP or SFTP tools. Unlike AppleShare, common to Mac users in business or schools, iGet is remarkably fast.

I’ve done some file uploads using CyberDuck and Transmit and iGet. iGet was fast at completing the upload. Surprised?

Some FTP and SFTP applications, Mac or Windows, have a hard time understanding file icons. iGet supports Spotlight searching, and icons on remote Macs show up as, well, icons; just like the ones on your local Mac.

iGet just hit version 2.x and adds a number of very Mac-like features (besides the remote Spotlight search capability). Custom labels and icons.

You don’t know how comforting it is to see the proper icons show up in the iGet window. No guessing. What you see is what you get.

That’s handy because Mac files don’t always have extensions and many regular FTP or SFTP file transfer applications can make a mess of the transfer.

iGet is the Preggo of file transfer applications. All the basics are in there. No server software needed. Mac file support. Automator actions. Mac OS X keychain support. Drag and drop. Unicode file names.

And it’s all encrypted with SSH.

The interface is elegant. The tool bar is clean and uncluttered with just the icons you need. Tera loves Transmit to death but there’s 127 icons on her Transmit tool bar. How many do you really need?

I’m an iGet fan boy today, because it’s obvious that disciplined restraint was required to develop this application. If you need free bells and whistles, go with CyberDuck.

If you need security, elegance, great upload/download speed, and user interface simplicity required in business or schools, iGet is a worthy look. Click Here for the features list and download link.

Carol Mary Miller
I told you so. Look how many years you wasted on a dozen different Windows FTP apps.

Alexis Kayhill
I love CyberDuck to death. Free. Loaded with features. It’s not the same as iGet. iGet’s very straightforward; got it up and running in 60-seconds, and ultra SSH secure. Works for me.

Bambi Hambi
I’m not giving up Transmit. Period. End of discussion. That said, how does iGet upload files so much faster? I tested. It’s faster. Easier to set up.

Tera Patricks
I told you so. You need to listen to me more often.