WebDAV, Windows, and Frustration

I’ve spent the last hour trying to find a functional webdav client for Windows, and I guess I have determined that there isn’t one. If someone would demonstrate that I am mistaken, I’d be much obliged. I’m running Win98 (because that’s what CDs I have, that’s why. No, I won’t upgrade to WinXP. Because I’m *NOT* paying for an OS ever again, that’s why.)

I just got done with the enormously frustrating installation of DAVExplorer. It was frustrating because I had to make guesses as to the dependencies, and then, when I ended up on the Sun web site, I had to chase links to find the actual file to download. Why can’t these Java people just give me something to download and install? With all the JREs and JDKs and JSEs and who knows what else, I never know what it is that I actually have to install to get one of these darned Java apps installed and working. And when I do get it installed, they never actually work as advertised. It’s little comfort that they are platform independent when they don’t work.

OK, so I got it installed, and it turns out that it does what the name says, and NOTHING ELSE. I can see DAV repositories. I can see the files in them. I can’t actually download them, edit them, or anything else that would be actually useful. What is the point of this thing, other than to tease and annoy me?

Is there seriously *no* Windows DAV client? This seems really odd. It’s not like the protocol is that complicated.

I’ve replaced FTP with DAV on my web servers because people with *real* operating systems can get functioning DAV clients to edit the content. But it appears that Windows users are just out in the cold. Having read that Windows XP, or perhaps Windows 2000, and maybe Windows 9x with IE6 installed, could access DAV shares, I thought that they would be able to do this. But on the server I see requests for _vti_bin and other such nonsense, and then the DAV “client” says that it’s not a valid “web folder.” I venture to say that it’s not a valid DAV client. Standards are there for a reason.

OK, I’m done ranting.