The Internet was a mere 19 months old when engineers first developed a file-sharing system still in wide use today. Although many of the technologies from those early days eventually faded away, replaced by newer developments such as the World Wide Web and search engines, file transfer protocol remains a common way for distributing larger files and updating Web sites, thanks to its simplicity and versatility.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/07/12/1183833649772.html
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FTP_PRIMER?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2007-07-11-15-23-03
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070711/ap_on_hi_te/ftp_primer_2