FTP [File Transfer Protocol] is one of the earliest protocols used on TCP/IP networks and the Internet. ( TCP/IP - Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol is the standard networking protocol that allows computers to communicate across interconnected networks and the Internet. Every computer on the Internet supports TCP/IP).

FTP is used to transfer files from one computer on a network to another computer on the same network. FTP is especially useful for transferring files between different computers, such as transferring files from a UNIX computer to a computer running MS-DOS or Windows NT.

Early FTP client software was character based, and was similar to using the Windows NT command prompt to list and copy files. A character-based program was used to log on to the remote computer, browse directories, and to then transfer files.

Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator can simplify the transfer process by automatically logging you onto the FTP server if anonymous connections are permitted. Directory listings are automatically displayed as hypertext (documents with links to other documents, like this page), permitting point-and-click simplicity in traversing directories and copying files from a server to a client [download].
You cannot copy files from a client to a server [upload] by using the Internet Explorer. To upload you need Netscape Navigator 2, 3.x, 4.x or a FTP application like WS_FTP.

Click Here for a list of FTP programs available