[TriLUG] /usr/bin/ftp only does passive mode ?? (RH 7.1)

[jeremyp at pobox.com]

Has anyone else noticed that newer RedHat versions of the ftp client only
support passive mode?  This is frustrating because I have some legacy
devices (old Solaris box, and a printer) that run FTP servers, and will
only work with PORT commands.  I was able to use an old version of ftp
from RH6.2 which worked, but it's really annoying that this was disabled,
with no runtime way of re-enabling it.  I mean, they could have provided a
command-line switch, but no -- it's disabled in "all clients" (for my own
good??)

Linux distributions need to get away from doing things like this if they
ever want to become mainstream.  It's frustrating for even an advanced
user like me -- I can't imagine how a beginner would react when confronted
with something like an "upgraded" operating system that no longer connects
to some of their FTP sites!  And there's not even a way to fix it without
jumping through many hoops.  I understand the reasons for things like
locking down telnet or ftp servers, but now they're getting anal about the
*clients* ?

Also, why do vendors like RedHat never update the date in the man pages
when they make changes?  The man page for ftp(1) says "August 15, 1999" in
both RH 6.2 and 7.1, but there are substantial differences!

Regards,
Jeremy