Five Speed Software Releases iGet 1.0 for Mac OS X
Innovative new software provides secure, resumable Mac file transfers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MALAGA, Spain – June 30, 2004 – Five Speed Software, Inc. today announced
the immediate availability of iGet 1.0, a new kind of file transfer
application engineered specifically for Mac OS X.
iGet is a modern replacement for dated file transfer tools like FTP, SFTP,
or client-server solutions. Taking full advantage of several Mac OS X
technologies, iGet provides a better way to move files between Mac OS X
computers.
iGet is based on a custom protocol that was designed from scratch to be
fast on real-world Internet connections (such as DSL, cable, or dialup),
and which enables the software to fully support Mac-specific file
attributes–including resource forks, HFS metadata, packages, aliases, and
Unicode file names–which standard protocols like FTP cannot handle.
“Since iGet was made for the Mac from the ground up, we didn’t have to
compromise,” said Mason Mark, the director of the company’s Mac OS X
development program. “We wanted something like FTP, except that it had to
be totally modern and designed for the Mac, not the lowest common
denominator. We achieved this by engineering our own protocol. But if you
go with a brand new protocol, you don’t have any installed base. So we made
that irrelevant, with iGet’s ‘zero setup’ feature–you don’t need any
software (not even iGet) on the remote end. Just Mac OS X.”
iGet’s unique design offers key advantages over built-in file sharing as
well; it’s dramatically faster at browsing files and folders, especially on
sub-Ethernet speed connections, and sports powerful resume capabilities.
With iGet, users are able to stop and resume any kind of file
transfer–including folders and Mac file packages. An intelligent resume
mechanism checks for changes to the file, preventing errors in cases where
the user tries to resume a previous upload or download using a different
file with the same name.
iGet uses industry-standard SSH encryption for data security, which is a
key requirement for software that moves sensitive data across insecure
networks like the Internet. Layering its custom protocol on top of SSH not
only allows iGet to leverage security updates from Apple, but also makes it
“firewall-friendly” since it uses only a single standard port.
The iGet application itself is as sleek and polished as its underlying
protocol, supporting key Mac features such as Rendezvous for local network
browsing, and the Keychain for secure storage of passwords. It also
eliminates complexity wherever possible.
“Part of what makes iGet really cool is what isn’t there,” said Ethan
Tuttle, the iGet engineering team leader. “iGet doesn’t have
bookmarks–because we eliminated 99% of the need for that with our smart
connection dialog. It remembers your previous connections and stores your
passwords in the system Keychain. Then it autocompletes all the information
for you. iGet doesn’t have a whole bunch of preference settings–we
intentionally kept it really simple, with sensible defaults. It doesn’t
really even have a learning curve–it’s simple and intuitive enough that
most users master it within sixty seconds.”
iGet marks Five Speed’s return to the consumer software market after six
years. “With Apple’s Mac OS X ratcheting up the levels of innovation in
personal computing, the consumer market has gotten very interesting to us
again,” said CEO Chris Frey. “We think that iGet fills an important need in
this market, making Internet file transfers not only easy and secure, but
also very intuitive for users who are accustomed to the Mac way of doing
things. And since we’ve solved the compatibility issues typically
associated with proprietary network protocols, we’re perfectly situated to
keep up with Apple’s rapid pace of innovation. For instance, we can build
in support for emerging Apple technologies like Spotlight, right at the
protocol level, without worrying about backwards compatibility.”
Pricing and Availability
iGet 1.0 is available today, from the Five Speed Software web site. The
single-copy price is US $24.95.
Educational discounts and site license pricing are also available.
For more information, please visit the company’s Web site at
http://www.fivespeed.com, send email to support@fivespeed.com, or call
(877) 905-0357.
About Five Speed Software
Five Speed Software, Inc. helped define the boundaries of handheld
computing in the 1990s with its award-winning line of consumer software for
the Newton OS. The company develops custom software solutions across
several industries, and returned to the consumer market in 2004 with iGet
for Mac OS X.
