Internet service providers impose strict limits on the size of files you can send via email. What better options exist for getting files from A to B?

Most ISPs set the size limit for outgoing emails at around 10Mb – which can preclude us from sending high-quality image files, or even two mp3 files in one go. It’s hard to blame the ISPs for setting these limits; email was never really intended for transferring large quantities of data, and their outgoing and incoming servers become quickly clogged – especially if the file is being send to multiple desitnations. And as Helen Burgess wrote in to point out, “There’s nothing more irritating than being on a dial-up connection and being prevented from getting at your email, because someone has sent you a 9Mb attachment containing a movie of their dog.”

The old way of getting around the issue was to use FTP (uploading the file to your own website and sending the recipient the address to download it from) but not everyone has their own webspace, and it’s far from secure. The only other alternative was burning a CD of the file and popping it in the post, which in this broadband-enabled age seems slightly ridiculous. Fortunately, dozens of online file hosting services have emerged over the past couple of years that eliminate the problem entirely. “Yousendit.com is one of the best choices,” writes Steve Albone. “Their free option allows you to securely send someone a file of up to 100Mb; it’ll be available for 7 days, and can be downloaded 50 times, so if you want to allow others to access it, you can email them the link too.” Competitors include Rapidshare.com (100Mb limit, 45 day availability) Badongo.com (1000Mb / 30 days) and Megaupload.com (500Mb / 21 days). Many of these services, however, are blighted by annoying verification processes and pop-up adverts – sometimes coupled with waiting times of up to 3 or 4 minutes. But they are succeeding in changing our habits; Ed Johnson notes that it seems to be leading to the death of the blank CD: “I used to get through so many, and in the last year I’ve probably only burned about four. I just use file hosting instead.”

These services don’t just provide a perfect alternative to email attachments; many are exploiting their additional suitability for backup storage and file sharing. Dropsend.com offers file transfer with permanent online storage across a range of price plans, while sites such as tubesnow.com and multiply.com add social networking to the mix, encouraging you to share files with friends and family. Multiply.com’s offer of unlimited free storage is particularly enticing, but it’ll be interesting to see how they deal with the inevitable problem of widespread music and video piracy.