I tried again from
http://firebird.sourceforge.net/index.php?op=files&id=engine

Same issue: I get an exe or zip (depending on what I select)
and I wind up with a 14k exe or zip that is garbage.

So I tried downloading something else to see if my system
is NOT WORKING. I mean, I know it's "working...' ;)

I'm currently downloading 2.9mb exe upgrade to something else
I use and everything is working ok.

I'm using w2k, IE 6.0.2800.1106IS and ZoneAlarm 4.5.538.01

I'm surely not an 'expert' but I have surely downloaded a few
thousand files at least. Any susggestion will be appreciated.

Again, this phenomena occured from both the ibphoenix and
sourceforge sites.

I don't see any opitons for mirrors on the sourceforge site
either, but then that's not likely the issue at hand.

I get the same problem (a 14k file of garbage, with
appropriate extension) when I download the
Firebird V1.0x Release Notes (.pdf)

However, "Firebird_v15.108_ReleaseNotes.pdf" did download
as expected from SourceForge. And a number of other pdf
files downloaded ok from ibphoenix.

...and the 2.9mb I was downloading from somewhere else
has finished and "wants to install" when I dbl click on it...

???

I thought that maybe it had something to do with my ZoneAlarm
because that has all kinds of bells and whistles and will
not store off-site cookies unless granted permission.

So, I eventually opened up ZA to accept anything and everything
that sourceforge wanted to send/do and still the same result:
14k files of garbage.