Where is 'Transmit' for the PC?

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Where is 'Transmit' for the PC?

So, recently I've been really wanting to find a simple FTP client that will let me edit remotely in whatever software I want. Problem is, I use a PC, and, at least in my research, I can't find anything that fits the bill.

My Mac friends have told me about Transmit, by Panic. Apparently, in stereotypical Mac fashion, it does everything in the world I would ever want it to do. So, where is the equivalent software for the PC?

Here's the thing. I do my HTML and CSS editing in TextPad because it's lightweight. A code editor like Dreamweaver is just overkill for me, since I'm not really a developer. Plus, Dreamweaver is pricey, so I'd love to find a lighter and cheaper solution.

But I want to edit directly on the remote files. I don't want to have to edit and then go to another app and drag and drop. I want to edit and have the changes saved back to the server. Sounds simple, right? Then, why is there no FTP software for the PC that does this.

The closest I have found is SmartFTP, which does offer remote edit, but it is one file at a time. What a pain.

Now, I'm not PC bashing or making any statements about Macs vs. PCs. I'm just saying that this particular solution, I can't find anything PC-based that works. If you know of something that's lightweight and cheap please, please, please leave me a comment.

Posted on Tue, November 27, 2007 by Tim Wall

15 comments (Add your own)

1. stevi3 wrote:: I use CyberDuck for the Mac and I think its awesome. FlashFXP for WinXP was my preferred FTP client. Very simple and straight-foward.
Tue, November 27, 2007 @ 7:18 PM
2. Ryan wrote:: Try WebDrive http://www.webdrive.com by South River Technologies. It allows you to map an FTP folder as a drive letter. You open up files, move them around, rename them, whatever, and it handles all the backend work. It's like mounting a network share but over FTP.
Wed, November 28, 2007 @ 4:46 PM
3. Tyler wrote:: Tim, I'd say just switch to Mac! ;)
Thu, November 29, 2007 @ 9:03 AM
4. Colin Rowley wrote:: Tim, No offense, but wouldn't this be one of many reasons why you should just switch over to the world of Mac? Why ignore the inevitable - you are jealous of your Mac friends, but too proud to make a move and get one. Colin
Thu, November 29, 2007 @ 10:20 PM
5. stevi3 wrote:: Tim - Switch. Now.
Fri, November 30, 2007 @ 12:39 AM
6. Greg wrote:: Well if your ftp needs are simple the first FTP add-on should get it done. http://www.textpad.com/add-ons/index.html Or better yet get Filezilla and drag and drop from explorer - Alt+F3 in Textpad opens it right up to where your file is saved. Fight the PC as a fashion statement crowd.
Fri, November 30, 2007 @ 1:58 AM
7. Tim Wall wrote:: Thanks everyone for the help. So far, I think Filezilla looks the most promising. It actually does everything I was originally looking for. Only downside is that (at least so far) it seems you have to click a box to confirm you want to upload to FTP. That's a little annoying but maybe there's a way around it I just haven't found yet. Either way, Filezilla seems like a great little open source FTP app. I had never played with it before. Thanks, Greg.
Fri, November 30, 2007 @ 9:56 AM
8. Vance Lucas wrote:: Look into WinSCP - It's better than Filezilla, and you can add your own external text editors that it will load files in (the built-in editor is bare minimum, akin to Notepad). You can also edit as many files you want at a time. It lets you connect with Secure FTP as well as regular FTP, so it's a really nice bonus. I think you'll really like it better, as I have used both SmartFTP and Filezilla myself, and then settled on this one in the end. Get it at http://winscp.net
Mon, December 3, 2007 @ 5:24 PM
9. Tim Wall wrote:: Thanks, Vance. I just checked it out and it seems to work well. Doesn't seem as polished as filezilla, but it does let me edit remotely in whatever app I want and auto-uploads in the background as I save my files with no confirmation. The lack of that little confirmation step will most likely win me over as it can save me a lot of time. Thanks for the great ideas everyone.
Tue, December 4, 2007 @ 10:26 AM
10. Tim Golding wrote:: I agree since joining my new job where all development computers are MAC. And using a combination of Panic Transmit and SubEthaEdit I hate using PCs for development. Panic Transmit is the best FTP software ever in my opinion. But I would like to find something similar on PC so I can develop at home. P.S If I could do serious gaming on MAC then I would switch to MAC at home.
Fri, April 24, 2009 @ 3:36 AM
11. scott wrote:: Christ you Mac guys are like vultures. one program to pay 2 grand for a dual core machine and outdated ram? No one who knows what's going on on the inside of computers owns mac. Just aint worth the buck.
Sun, May 29, 2011 @ 3:58 AM
12. Scott wrote:: No one who uses these programs professionally would use anything other then a mac, it just isn't worth the aggrivation
Tue, August 23, 2011 @ 4:38 PM
13. TIm K wrote:: Wow Mac people are so r=freaking snobbish. I use mac at work but at home im a PC person. I understand the benefits of both and if someone could come up with something as stable and secure as OSX but the functionality of a PC i would be on that in a heartbeat. (this is the point at which someone says something about linux). Anyway, i would not suggest switching. in fact i would not recommend to anyone using only one platform or the other. as i said both have their benefits.
the biggest problem with mac is the fact that its overpriced and too restrictive (if you have the wrong processor you cant upgrade the OS or after a certain time even half the software). anyways Ive hear alot of good things about filezilla, havent used it myself yet. cyberduck is pretty good and i believe they have it for PC as well.
Wed, November 30, 2011 @ 2:00 PM
14. Mummy Ninja wrote:: Yep, smartFTP is the best option for Windows. And also Filezilla. If you want a lighter one, just use Firefox and installed FireFTP :)
Thu, March 1, 2012 @ 7:37 PM
15. IT GRADUATE wrote:: !!!! FILEZILLA !!!! is the best for PC, I have a mac and use transmit, on my pc I use Filezilla - Netbeans is suitable for developing with nearly any language and has FTP built in also - I use Netbeans to work on big projects and Filezilla for very small projects. If you are a developer get into netbeans. All of these programs apart from Transmit are open source - hope that helps
Sat, March 3, 2012 @ 9:08 AM

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