Re: 'not a plain file'--huh?

[coolidge@speaker.sgi.com (Don Coolidge)]

In article <9107081653.AA27352@epas.utoronto.ca> gravende@epas.utoronto.ca (David Gravender) writes:
>I need some assistance. Recently I discovered the ftp function, and
>armed with that new knowledge attempted to access the archives and/or
>get R.Hill's new compendium Cloudbusting and IED's Garden. However,
>while I was successful in getting to the point where i could and did
>call up the directory of love-hounds files, when i then tapped in the
>'get' command (followed by 'archives' as that was one of the two
>filenames presented to me, the other being 'kb'), the response was the
>cryptic (to me) phrase 'not a plain file.'  I dinna ken this, so could
>some one of you helpful and computer-wise lovehounds out there
>instruct as to what it is i need to do to actually access the files,
>to avoid the 'not a plain file' denial? I seem to recall someone
>having complained of this same thing a few weeks ago, and having
>received a response--yet the response, so far as i could make out,
>while diagnosing the problem failed to provide the critical info, how
>to get around it. So if you can help, please do! :)

Summary line says it all. ftp can only get files, not directories of files.
To get the files themselves, change directory to either archives or kb ('cd kb'
or 'cd archive'); list the contente ('ls'); and get what you're interested in.

- Don Coolidge
coolidge@speaker.wpd.sgi.com