The IFDC FileGate Project is a free distribution system, which delivers over 30 megabytes of shareware and freeware files a day to main distribution systems all over the world, at no cost for the receiving system.
Originally the brainchild of Terence Milbourn, Ray Kaliss and Janis Kracht, the FileGate project was first meant to link the United States and the United Kingdom by having 3Com pick up files in North America from FidoNet File Coordinators (FDNs), and having 3Com deliver them to the United Kingdom. Further international distribution to include all major continents of the world was developed by Janis Kracht, International Coordinator of the Programmers Distribution Network, and Adam Strack, of 3Com USA as an outgrowth of the success of the US <-> UK connection.
With current changes, most all of the activity of the FileGate is now accomplished via the internet and ftp/www tranfers
The purpose of the FileGate Project is to make shareware and freeware files available to end-users and bulletin board systems world-wide.
There are a number of file distribution schemes for getting files into the hands of end-users. Each of these schemes has communities of users it serves well, and each has communites of users it misses completely. The IFDC FileGate came into being not to compete with these distribution methods, but to feed files into all of these channels and to widen that distribution throughout the world.
We wanted Authors to know that they could expect to receive the benefits of each of the distribution schemes, and because of the variety of distribution schemes, to be protected from the limitations of any one scheme. We also wanted FDN Coordinators, hobbyists who collect and organize files, to be able to concentrate on finding high quality files and to be free of the concerns inherent in the distribution of those files.
This is feeding the files to a number of HUBs and other distribution systems at no cost to the receiving system or to the FDN Coordinators.
There are a number of File Distribution Networks (FDNs) In North America and in Europe, as well as in many other places in the world. A File Distribution Network Coordinator collects and organizes the files he or she finds.
FDN systems drop off their files at 64.34.85.9 which they have collected from various sources. Some of the sources are author-direct, i.e., some of the authors drop their files off on the FDNs' BBS, some use internet techology, and some use FidoNet Technology. Some of the FDNs have gotten permission from authors to pick up the authors' files at various sources so that they may be distributed.
Anonymous ftp and WWW access to FileGate files: ftp://64.34.85.9
Pay Service Providers for IFDC FileGate files:
The IFDC FileGate Project delivers files, at no cost, to main sites called SuperSites, located on 6 of the 7 major continents, a number of IFDC FileGate HUBs located in North America, as well as to other distribution systems such as FileGate.org (IRVBBS.COM), Planet Connect Satellite Service, and the FidoNet FileBone.
There are many different types of files on the IFDC FileGate. Among the FDNs participating are the following:
Related FAQ and Info Files regarding the IFDC FileGate
Currently, we are looking for new FDN's to join the FileGate Project in all countries of the world. If you are interested in having your FDN, or your software, distributed by the IFDC FileGate, contact jkracht@telocity.com for more information.
