GNU Wget

GNU Wget is a super handy command line tool you can use right from the OS X Terminal app to download files. It works with HTTP, HTTPS, and FTP protocols, making it pretty versatile. When you use it, it automatically saves your downloads to whatever folder you're currently in on the command line.

Getting Started with GNU Wget

Most of the time, you'll find GNU Wget available as a source code archive. This means you'll need to set it up yourself by configuring, building, and installing it. But don’t worry! The awesome folks at Softpedia have made life easier by packaging everything together for you. You just need to follow some simple on-screen instructions to get it installed without a hitch.

Using the Terminal App

Once you've got everything installed, just open your Terminal app and kick things off by typing in the command for downloading. For example, if you want to download a file, you’d type: wget http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/wget/wget-1.16.tar.gz. Easy peasy!

Customizing Your Downloads

If you're curious about all the cool options available with GNU Wget, just type wget -h. This will show you all the customization options and how to use them.

Reliable File Transfers with GNU Wget

This tool supports major internet protocols like HTTP, HTTPS, and FTP. It can handle persistent HTTP connections along with HTTP proxies or cookies too! Once you start a download, GNU Wget takes over and doesn’t need any help from you.

Mirroring Directories Made Easy

If you're mirroring directories or downloading multiple files, GNU Wget is smart enough to check date stamps on files. This means it knows if something needs updating or if it can skip downloading again.

The Power of Resuming Downloads

A big plus is that if your download gets interrupted for some reason—maybe your internet drops—GNU Wget can pick up right where it left off! This feature saves time when you're dealing with large files.