Dreamweaver CS3 is a great tool for web developers. It has tons of bells and whistles that help make developing a lot faster and easier. Despite the great things I have to say about it, there is one problem that I experienced while using it with Windows Vista (I have included a screenshot above). The problem lies in the FTP function that allows you to remotely edit a file on your web server. When trying to access a file, whether it is saving, opening, or reading a directory, I would get this no response error. After dealing with this for too long, thankfully I found that there is an easy fix.

I was able to fix this by changing the FTP timeout value in the preferences. Apparently when Dreamweaver is installed, it sets this value to 2 seconds. That turned out to be too short for me. I have seen other people with this issue, and I believe the 2 seconds was too short for them as well. All you need to do to change it is go to the "Site" preferences and make the change. I changed mine to 30 seconds and haven't received the error since.

In the toolbar, go to Edit > Preferences > Site and change the "FTP Time out" (screenshot below).

I hope this helps and is able to take care of the problem as easily as it did for me.

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Any webmaster knows the importance of a good FTP program. Although we can accomplish FTP requirements through a command line program, whether it be on Windows or a flavor of *nix, that is not always the most efficient way. A good program is typically advertised as a commercial software application with an associated commercial cost. While this is true in some cases, such as FlashFXP and CuteFTP, there are many options out there that provide great functionality at at an even better cost: free. I have listed 5 of the best below.

You can click on the icon to see a screenshot.

• | FileZilla - This is probably the most popular free FTP program available. It has a large following, in part due to it being an open source program. That certainly isn't the only reason though. FileZilla is not as nice to look at as SmartFTP, but is very fast and efficient. The program uses very little resources and provides all the typical functionality required in an FTP program. It boasts features like drag & drop, transfer queues, resume, large file transfers, and many more. If you don't care about the appearance and you just want a fast, easy, and full featured program, this is your program.
• | FireFTP - This is an add-on for FireFox. Don't be fooled by its simplicity though. It has many of the same features covered in the first two programs. FireFTP supports searching, remote editing, drag & drop, FXP (FTP to FTP), CHMOD, synchronization, and more. Although this harnesses the framework of FireFox, FireFTP is a good choice for many.
• | GoFTP - This program presents itself as the fastest multi-threaded FTP program available, working 314% faster than its competitors. Speed and ease of use are the biggest sellers for this program. GoFTP will also perform "on the fly compression," as well as instant connections and directories through its proprietary technology. It also supports the usual features, drag & drop, and transfer queues. This is another good alternative to a paid program.
• | WinSCP - This program doesn't have anything that I think separates it from the pack, but is still a good program. It supports all the common features like drag & drop, synchronization, and the common file operations. One thing I might point out is that is does offer a command-line interface and batch processing. This is an interesting feature to add because if I wanted to use command line, I'd use the basic FTP programs that come bundled in windows or *nix. At any rate, it works well and is a worthy entry in the list.
• | CoffeeCup Free FTP - This program is a basic no frills FTP program. It offers all the features necessary to be a FTP program like ASCII/Binary/Auto uploads and downloads. It connects to any FTP server, is capable of multiple server profiles, and remembers your server information. It is not the best looking program but it does what is needed and is best of all, free.

What FTP program do you use to meet your needs? Please comment below and let us know what else is out there.