Linux Dummies 9th

Chapter 9: Using the Internet
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3. When the remote FTP session starts, a list of available files and folders
appears in the right-side list box.
4. Find and select the file(s) you want to download, select the folder to
download them to in the left-side list box, and then drag and drop to
transfer the file(s).
5. When you’re finished, click the Disconnect icon in the toolbar (the
icon with the big red X over it) to disconnect and end the session.
It’s as simple as that. Using a graphical FTP client makes transferring lots of
files almost painless.
Talkin’ on the Phone
The craze these days is chatting on the phone over the Internet. Whether you
just want to experiment or are a complete devotee, Linux offers the software
you need if you want to take part. Think of the Internet phone networks such
as Instant Messenger networks. One of the most popular networks for supporting
Internet phones is Skype (www.skype.com), which uses SIP (Session
Initiation Protocol), a popular default that you can use with a wider variety
of programs. First, however, you need the proper hardware — whether it’s a
phone you can actually plug into your computer (a SIP phone, for example)
or just a combination of a headset and a microphone — preferably not the
lowest-end model so you’ll get the best sound quality. When you have the
hardware, it’s time to get the software.
In Fedora and Ubuntu, the default client software is Ekiga (www.ekiga.org).
Two other SIP clients are also included in the repositories, as discussed in
Chapter 16: KPhone (http://sourceforge.net/projects/kphone) and
Linphone (www.linphone.org). The popular Skype package isn’t included,
but you can download a Linux client for Skype from www.skype.com.
In the upcoming sections, we show you how to configure the default Ekiga
package and the popular Skype package.
Using the default: Ekiga
The default Ekiga Internet Phone software is a redesign of the old GNOME
GnomeMeeting package for Internet voice and videoconferencing applications.
Ekiga was expanded to provide the same basic functions as the more
popular Skype software, along with compatibility with Microsoft NetMeeting.