When I worked as a federal contractor in 1996-1997 we used password protected FTP servers to store giant text files for import to a database. Later on they moved it to a website you login and download the text file. Since it was so long it took almost all day and if it aborted had to start all over again.

I had to keep Netscape open because it showed the status of the file download. People asked why my web browser was open all day, it was for the giant download that is part of my job.