FTP alternatives

[Ron Stanions]

I'm running a unix site here and trying to build up my library of
programs and such.  To date, the only source I've had for getting things
is from comp.sources, but that's a heavily limited way to get things,
and often not reliable enough.  What would make life easier is access to
an FTP site, but that's something I'm sadly lacking. :-(

What I really want to know is: Is there any other alternative to FTP
that accomplishes the same thing, and that is more publically available?
I constantly see things available from numerous places via FTP, but I
have no access to any FTP points myself.  Is there no way to call these
places directly and log in as a special user? Where can I go to get this
information? Where can I find out about gaining access to FTP?
-- 
 Ron Stanions -- sauron at dsoft     \_/\--/\_/     All things posted by me are
  dsoft system administrator       < \  / >     by-products of a deranged mind
    Dragonsoft Development          \    /       from spending too many hours
...!uunet!tronsbox!dsoft!sauron     `\oo/'         trying to make uucp work!