How to Choose an SSH Client
A SSH (Secure Shell) program lets you remotely access your computer over a network, much in the same way as Telnet and FTP do, but with added security. There are several different SSH clients you can use, so you'll need to know how to choose an SSH client that fits your needs.
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Instructions
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Determine your platform. If you are using Windows or Linux or Unix or OS X, the best SSH client for you is going to be different. PuTTY is the leading free Win32 client, F-Secure SSH client works for both Mac and Windows.
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Determine which features you need. Features vary from SSH client to SSH client: port forwarding, remote printing, data compression, support for SSH1 and SSH2 are all good features to look for.
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Get some feedback. New software and clients are being developed daily, so you'll want to get some feedback from the community. Post on some Web developing forums and general SSH forums to find out what you should use for your needs.
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Find out if it is legal to run secure shell in your area. Some countries have laws for cryptography that will change which SSH client you should use. Also, the rules are different for the use, for example university users (students, professors, staff) can use SSH for free for non-commercial use. Anyone else should read the licensing information in the resources section.
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Try evaluation demos. Many clients have an option to try before you buy. You can usually use an SSH client for 30-days before you decide to buy it, so test a few out until you find one that you like.
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Tips & Warnings
You can put an SSH client on a USB hard drive so it can be used from any computer.
Using a program called Corkscrew, you can run SSH over an HTTPS proxy server.
In some countries, such as Russia, Iraq, France and Pakistan, it is illegal to use encryption without a special permit.
