Hi Larry, (Thanks for your persistent efforts in this regard, though  
I've rarely downloaded the archives for myself)
I tried your first suggestion with Tiger 4.5 and latest Safari with  
the following results:

ip68-7-56-223:~ joelewiswilkins$ curl --verbose --ftpport --url  
"ftp://topo.math.u-psud.fr/pub/lcs/fb/FBdigests2006/FBD_2006-02.gz" >  
FBD_2006-02.gz
* About to connect() to topo.math.u-psud.fr port 21
*   Trying 129.175.50.180... * connected
* Connected to topo.math.u-psud.fr (129.175.50.180) port 21
< 220 topo FTP server (Version 5.105 Thu Sep 20 02:01:48 MET DST  
2001) ready.
 > USER anonymous
< 331 Guest login ok, send ident as password.
 > PASS curl_by_daniel@...
< 230 Guest login ok, access restrictions apply.
* We have successfully logged in
 > PWD
< 257 "/" is current directory.
* Entry path is '/'
* protocol connect phase DONE
* DO phase starts
 > CWD pub
< 250 CWD command successful.
 > CWD lcs
< 250 CWD command successful.
 > CWD fb
< 250 CWD command successful.
 > CWD FBdigests2006
< 250 CWD command successful.
* getaddrinfo(3) failed for --url:0
* Unknown error: 0
* DO phase is comlete
* Remembering we are in dir pub/lcs/fb/FBdigests2006/FBD_2006-02.gz
   % Total    % Received % Xferd  Average Speed   Time    Time      
Time  Current
                                  Dload  Upload   Total   Spent     
Left  Speed
   0     0    0     0    0     0      0      0 --:--:--  0:00:02  
--:--:--     0* Connection #0 to host topo.math.u-psud.fr left intact

curl: (30) Unknown error: 0
 > QUIT
< 221 Goodbye.
* Closing connection #0
ip68-7-56-223:~ joelewiswilkins$


On Mar 9, 2006, at 9:51 PM, Larry Siebenmann wrote:

>
>
> Hi Ken, Steve and all digest users,
>
> Lets get digest access from OSX up to snuff!
>
> Following up Ken's suggestion that we exploit the
> linux/unix utility  "curl",
> my best shot is to use curl in a unix
> terminal window with the syntax:
>
> curl --verbose --ftpport --url "ftp://topo.math.u-psud.fr/pub/lcs/ 
> fb/FBdigests2006/FBD_2006-02.gz" > FBD_2006-02.gz
>
> All on one line please!!!
>
> With a text editor (or using FB!) one can then quickly
> prepare a mass download of all the digests.
>
> We have long known that "ftp://topo.math.u-psud.fr"
> requires (anonymous) PORT access.
>
> In my curl man page there is the following very
> helpful explanation of the "--ftpport" switch;-- It
> reverses the initiator/listener roles when connecting
> with ftp.  It  makes  Curl  use the PORT command
> instead of PASV. In practice, PORT tells  the  server
> to connect  to the client's  specified address and
> port, while PASV asks the server for an ip address and
> port to connect to.
>
> My second-best shot is:
>
> lynx -source "ftp://topo.math.u-psud.fr/pub/lcs/fb/FBdigests2006/ 
> FBD_2006-02.gz" > FBD_2006-02.gz
>
> All on one line please!!! Alas, my what I receive
> from this as "FBD_2006-02.gz" is  decompressed
> probably because of my lynx configuration file.
>
> Does all/some of this work OK under OSX.4, OSX.3, OSX.2?
>
> Cheers,
>
> Laurent S.
>
> PS.  Steve's report suggests that PORT access is incompatible
> with the OSX firewall; he switches it off.  So additionally
> first
>
> << go to System Preferences:Sharing:Firewall and turn it off>>
>
> if needs be.
>
> PPS.  I am astounded that nobody is reporting success by
> use of an ISP-provided ftp proxy via a browser.  (???)
> That should be firewall-compatible, a distinct advantage.
>
> --
>