Meaning of 'download'

[John]

Could someone please properly explain the meaning of the word 'download'?
Where I work none of my co-workers knows a thing beyond emailing and porn
when it comes to techno or should I say techno-nothing. The word download
comes up when someone does any transfer of data. 'I downloaded windows last
night' can be heard at coffee break or 'could you please download that onto
CD-ROM for me so I can take it home?'. I try to explain a difference because
these guys are anal about everything else they do but I am an outcast among
Intel midgets.

Thanks.

J.

 

[Guest]

From:
http://www.computeruser.com/resources/dictionary/noframes/nf.definition.html
"To transfer files or data from one computer to another. To download means
to receive; to upload means to transmit. "

This term is often misused to mean any file transfer between devices, i.e.
"I downloaded the files from my camera to my computer."

 

[Jim Macklin]

General accepted terms in USA..
Download means to transfer and copy files or data from an
on-line site to your local drive.
Install means to "install" a program so that it will run.
Burn means to copy a file from the hard drive to a CD-R or
other media.
Copy means to select a file and make a copy in some other
location or media.
Upload means to use a procedure to send a file to a website.
The opposite generally of download.
Email is a method of sending data using mail servers to
addresses in domains, name@domain.
Attachment is a method for including files of any type along
with an email, it is different from uploading as it uses
different servers and encoding methods.


--
The people think the Constitution protects their rights;
But government sees it as an obstacle to be overcome.


| Could someone please properly explain the meaning of the
word 'download'?
| Where I work none of my co-workers knows a thing beyond
emailing and porn
| when it comes to techno or should I say techno-nothing.
The word download
| comes up when someone does any transfer of data. 'I
downloaded windows last
| night' can be heard at coffee break or 'could you please
download that onto
| CD-ROM for me so I can take it home?'. I try to explain a
difference because
| these guys are anal about everything else they do but I am
an outcast among
| Intel midgets.
|
| Thanks.
|
| J.
|
|

 

[Gerry Cornell]

John

http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/d/download.html

--

~~~~~~


Hope this helps.

Gerry
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FCA

Stourport, Worcs, England
Enquire, plan and execute.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please tell the newsgroup how any
suggested solution worked for you.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

[Raymond J. Johnson Jr.]

| General accepted terms in USA.

| Download means to transfer and copy files or data from an
| on-line site to your local drive.

Actually, any form of network transfer qualifies as a download, especially
when the transfer is from a server to a workstation.

| Install means to "install" a program so that it will run.

Not necessarily; some programs can be downloaded (or otherwise transferred)
and executed without installation.

| Burn means to copy a file from the hard drive to a CD-R or
| other media.

....or other *optical* media.

| Copy means to select a file and make a copy in some other
| location or media.

| Upload means to use a procedure to send a file to a website.
| The opposite generally of download.

Yes, but it also refers to a process that is the opposite of downloading as
I described it above; sending files to a "website" is a form of uploading,
but there are others.

| Email is a method of sending data using mail servers to
| addresses in domains, name@domain.

E-mail is any sort of electronic transfer of messages; it can occur without
mail servers.

| Attachment is a method for including files of any type along
| with an email, it is different from uploading as it uses
| different servers and encoding methods.

E-mail messages, and their attachments, if there are any, must be *uploaded*
to the mail server, and incoming mail may be *downloaded* from the server.
The method of tranfer may be different, but it's still uploading and
downloading.
|
|
| --
| The people think the Constitution protects their rights;
| But government sees it as an obstacle to be overcome.
|
|
| | | Could someone please properly explain the meaning of the
| word 'download'?
| | Where I work none of my co-workers knows a thing beyond
| emailing and porn
| | when it comes to techno or should I say techno-nothing.
| The word download
| | comes up when someone does any transfer of data. 'I
| downloaded windows last
| | night' can be heard at coffee break or 'could you please
| download that onto
| | CD-ROM for me so I can take it home?'. I try to explain a
| difference because
| | these guys are anal about everything else they do but I am
| an outcast among
| | Intel midgets.
| |
| | Thanks.
| |
| | J.
| |
| |
|
|

 

[Jim Macklin]

The nice thing is that a simple description will bring
further expansion. Thank you for the expanded definitions.
Many programs do not "install" in that they do not require a
Windows registry tree entry, old DOS programs and some newer
programs written to run directly, but they are not
"installed" but "loaded into memory" and run. Install means
that a registry entry has been made and that uninstalling
requires more than just deleting the exe file.


message |
in message
| || General accepted terms in USA.
|
|| Download means to transfer and copy files or data from an
|| on-line site to your local drive.
|
| Actually, any form of network transfer qualifies as a
download, especially
| when the transfer is from a server to a workstation.
|
|| Install means to "install" a program so that it will run.
|
| Not necessarily; some programs can be downloaded (or
otherwise transferred)
| and executed without installation.
|
|| Burn means to copy a file from the hard drive to a CD-R
or
|| other media.
|
| ...or other *optical* media.
|
|| Copy means to select a file and make a copy in some other
|| location or media.
|
|| Upload means to use a procedure to send a file to a
website.
|| The opposite generally of download.
|
| Yes, but it also refers to a process that is the opposite
of downloading as
| I described it above; sending files to a "website" is a
form of uploading,
| but there are others.
|
|| Email is a method of sending data using mail servers to
|| addresses in domains, name@domain.
|
| E-mail is any sort of electronic transfer of messages; it
can occur without
| mail servers.
|
|| Attachment is a method for including files of any type
along
|| with an email, it is different from uploading as it uses
|| different servers and encoding methods.
|
| E-mail messages, and their attachments, if there are any,
must be *uploaded*
| to the mail server, and incoming mail may be *downloaded*
from the server.
| The method of tranfer may be different, but it's still
uploading and
| downloading.
||
||
|| --
|| The people think the Constitution protects their rights;
|| But government sees it as an obstacle to be overcome.
||
||
|| || | Could someone please properly explain the meaning of
the
|| word 'download'?
|| | Where I work none of my co-workers knows a thing beyond
|| emailing and porn
|| | when it comes to techno or should I say techno-nothing.
|| The word download
|| | comes up when someone does any transfer of data. 'I
|| downloaded windows last
|| | night' can be heard at coffee break or 'could you
please
|| download that onto
|| | CD-ROM for me so I can take it home?'. I try to explain
a
|| difference because
|| | these guys are anal about everything else they do but I
am
|| an outcast among
|| | Intel midgets.
|| |
|| | Thanks.
|| |
|| | J.
|| |
|| |
||
||
|
|

 

[Raymond J. Johnson Jr.]

| The nice thing is that a simple description will bring
| further expansion. Thank you for the expanded definitions.
| Many programs do not "install" in that they do not require a
| Windows registry tree entry, old DOS programs and some newer
| programs written to run directly, but they are not
| "installed" but "loaded into memory" and run. Install means
| that a registry entry has been made and that uninstalling
| requires more than just deleting the exe file.
|
|
| message | |
| in message
| | | || General accepted terms in USA.
| |
| || Download means to transfer and copy files or data from an
| || on-line site to your local drive.
| |
| | Actually, any form of network transfer qualifies as a
| download, especially
| | when the transfer is from a server to a workstation.
| |
| || Install means to "install" a program so that it will run.
| |
| | Not necessarily; some programs can be downloaded (or
| otherwise transferred)
| | and executed without installation.
| |
| || Burn means to copy a file from the hard drive to a CD-R
| or
| || other media.
| |
| | ...or other *optical* media.
| |
| || Copy means to select a file and make a copy in some other
| || location or media.
| |
| || Upload means to use a procedure to send a file to a
| website.
| || The opposite generally of download.
| |
| | Yes, but it also refers to a process that is the opposite
| of downloading as
| | I described it above; sending files to a "website" is a
| form of uploading,
| | but there are others.
| |
| || Email is a method of sending data using mail servers to
| || addresses in domains, name@domain.
| |
| | E-mail is any sort of electronic transfer of messages; it
| can occur without
| | mail servers.
| |
| || Attachment is a method for including files of any type
| along
| || with an email, it is different from uploading as it uses
| || different servers and encoding methods.
| |
| | E-mail messages, and their attachments, if there are any,
| must be *uploaded*
| | to the mail server, and incoming mail may be *downloaded*
| from the server.
| | The method of tranfer may be different, but it's still
| uploading and
| | downloading.
| ||
| ||
| || --
| || The people think the Constitution protects their rights;
| || But government sees it as an obstacle to be overcome.
| ||
| ||
| || | || | Could someone please properly explain the meaning of
| the
| || word 'download'?
| || | Where I work none of my co-workers knows a thing beyond
| || emailing and porn
| || | when it comes to techno or should I say techno-nothing.
| || The word download
| || | comes up when someone does any transfer of data. 'I
| || downloaded windows last
| || | night' can be heard at coffee break or 'could you
| please
| || download that onto
| || | CD-ROM for me so I can take it home?'. I try to explain
| a
| || difference because
| || | these guys are anal about everything else they do but I
| am
| || an outcast among
| || | Intel midgets.
| || |
| || | Thanks.
| || |
| || | J.

Yes, in fact the meaning of "install" has shifted since the DOS-only days,
when there was no Windows registry to deal with. Back then, an installation
routine on a disk was often just a batch file that created a directory and
copied the necessary files to it.

 

[Kenny S]

I think Jim knows of all these parameters, but in order to clarify things he
made things more simple.

 

[Raymond J. Johnson Jr.]

| I think Jim knows of all these parameters, but in order to clarify things
he
| made things more simple.
|
|
| | >
| > | > | General accepted terms in USA.
| >
| > | Download means to transfer and copy files or data from an
| > | on-line site to your local drive.
| >
| > Actually, any form of network transfer qualifies as a download,
especially
| > when the transfer is from a server to a workstation.
| >
| > | Install means to "install" a program so that it will run.
| >
| > Not necessarily; some programs can be downloaded (or otherwise
| > transferred)
| > and executed without installation.
| >
| > | Burn means to copy a file from the hard drive to a CD-R or
| > | other media.
| >
| > ...or other *optical* media.
| >
| > | Copy means to select a file and make a copy in some other
| > | location or media.
| >
| > | Upload means to use a procedure to send a file to a website.
| > | The opposite generally of download.
| >
| > Yes, but it also refers to a process that is the opposite of downloading
| > as
| > I described it above; sending files to a "website" is a form of
uploading,
| > but there are others.
| >
| > | Email is a method of sending data using mail servers to
| > | addresses in domains, name@domain.
| >
| > E-mail is any sort of electronic transfer of messages; it can occur
| > without
| > mail servers.
| >
| > | Attachment is a method for including files of any type along
| > | with an email, it is different from uploading as it uses
| > | different servers and encoding methods.
| >
| > E-mail messages, and their attachments, if there are any, must be
| > *uploaded*
| > to the mail server, and incoming mail may be *downloaded* from the
server.
| > The method of tranfer may be different, but it's still uploading and
| > downloading.
| > |
| > |
| > | --
| > | The people think the Constitution protects their rights;
| > | But government sees it as an obstacle to be overcome.
| > |
| > |
| > | | > | | Could someone please properly explain the meaning of the
| > | word 'download'?
| > | | Where I work none of my co-workers knows a thing beyond
| > | emailing and porn
| > | | when it comes to techno or should I say techno-nothing.
| > | The word download
| > | | comes up when someone does any transfer of data. 'I
| > | downloaded windows last
| > | | night' can be heard at coffee break or 'could you please
| > | download that onto
| > | | CD-ROM for me so I can take it home?'. I try to explain a
| > | difference because
| > | | these guys are anal about everything else they do but I am
| > | an outcast among
| > | | Intel midgets.
| > | |
| > | | Thanks.
| > | |
| > | | J.
| > | |

So that even you could understand.

 

[Ken Blake]

In

From:
http://www.computeruser.com/resources/dictionary/noframes/nf.definition.html
"To transfer files or data from one computer to another. To
download
means to receive; to upload means to transmit. "

This term is often misused to mean any file transfer between
devices,
i.e. "I downloaded the files from my camera to my computer."

Although that may be a technical misuse of the term, it doesn't
bother me very much, since the most important aspect of a
download is that it's a file transfer, and that's what's conveyed
in that sentence.

But there's another misuse of the term that's becoming much more
common, and it is, in my view, a much greater problem--that's
using the word "download" to mean "install." That's just plain
and simple wrong, and typically leads to exchanges like the
following:

"How can I download Windows?"

"You can't download it; you have to buy it."

Because the first person misused the term, the second didn't
understand him, and the first probably didn't understand the
answer.

 

[Jim Macklin]

Some time Windows is more complicated but do you want to go
back to DOS? I understand that most Mac OS X programs just
create a file list, and not a series of embedded registry
entries. Don't know for sure, just something I saw, maybe
it was Linux. If I had the time and inclination, I'd have
machines with several OS just to keep myself busy. But
Windows does what I want and I know how to use it.


message |
in message
| || The nice thing is that a simple description will bring
|| further expansion. Thank you for the expanded
definitions.
|| Many programs do not "install" in that they do not
require a
|| Windows registry tree entry, old DOS programs and some
newer
|| programs written to run directly, but they are not
|| "installed" but "loaded into memory" and run. Install
means
|| that a registry entry has been made and that uninstalling
|| requires more than just deleting the exe file.
||
||
|| message || |
|| | "Jim Macklin" <p51mustang[threeX12]@xxxhotmail.calm>
wrote
|| in message
|| | || || General accepted terms in USA.
|| |
|| || Download means to transfer and copy files or data from
an
|| || on-line site to your local drive.
|| |
|| | Actually, any form of network transfer qualifies as a
|| download, especially
|| | when the transfer is from a server to a workstation.
|| |
|| || Install means to "install" a program so that it will
run.
|| |
|| | Not necessarily; some programs can be downloaded (or
|| otherwise transferred)
|| | and executed without installation.
|| |
|| || Burn means to copy a file from the hard drive to a
CD-R
|| or
|| || other media.
|| |
|| | ...or other *optical* media.
|| |
|| || Copy means to select a file and make a copy in some
other
|| || location or media.
|| |
|| || Upload means to use a procedure to send a file to a
|| website.
|| || The opposite generally of download.
|| |
|| | Yes, but it also refers to a process that is the
opposite
|| of downloading as
|| | I described it above; sending files to a "website" is a
|| form of uploading,
|| | but there are others.
|| |
|| || Email is a method of sending data using mail servers
to
|| || addresses in domains, name@domain.
|| |
|| | E-mail is any sort of electronic transfer of messages;
it
|| can occur without
|| | mail servers.
|| |
|| || Attachment is a method for including files of any type
|| along
|| || with an email, it is different from uploading as it
uses
|| || different servers and encoding methods.
|| |
|| | E-mail messages, and their attachments, if there are
any,
|| must be *uploaded*
|| | to the mail server, and incoming mail may be
*downloaded*
|| from the server.
|| | The method of tranfer may be different, but it's still
|| uploading and
|| | downloading.
|| ||
|| ||
|| || --
|| || The people think the Constitution protects their
rights;
|| || But government sees it as an obstacle to be overcome.
|| ||
|| ||
|| || || || | Could someone please properly explain the meaning of
|| the
|| || word 'download'?
|| || | Where I work none of my co-workers knows a thing
beyond
|| || emailing and porn
|| || | when it comes to techno or should I say
techno-nothing.
|| || The word download
|| || | comes up when someone does any transfer of data. 'I
|| || downloaded windows last
|| || | night' can be heard at coffee break or 'could you
|| please
|| || download that onto
|| || | CD-ROM for me so I can take it home?'. I try to
explain
|| a
|| || difference because
|| || | these guys are anal about everything else they do
but I
|| am
|| || an outcast among
|| || | Intel midgets.
|| || |
|| || | Thanks.
|| || |
|| || | J.
|
| Yes, in fact the meaning of "install" has shifted since
the DOS-only days,
| when there was no Windows registry to deal with. Back
then, an installation
| routine on a disk was often just a batch file that created
a directory and
| copied the necessary files to it.
|
|

 

[Jim Macklin]

Just tried to save a few typed words. My ego wasn't
bruised.


--
The people think the Constitution protects their rights;
But government sees it as an obstacle to be overcome.


|I think Jim knows of all these parameters, but in order to
clarify things he
| made things more simple.
|
|
message
| | >
| > "Jim Macklin" <p51mustang[threeX12]@xxxhotmail.calm>
wrote in message
| > | > | General accepted terms in USA.
| >
| > | Download means to transfer and copy files or data from
an
| > | on-line site to your local drive.
| >
| > Actually, any form of network transfer qualifies as a
download, especially
| > when the transfer is from a server to a workstation.
| >
| > | Install means to "install" a program so that it will
run.
| >
| > Not necessarily; some programs can be downloaded (or
otherwise
| > transferred)
| > and executed without installation.
| >
| > | Burn means to copy a file from the hard drive to a
CD-R or
| > | other media.
| >
| > ...or other *optical* media.
| >
| > | Copy means to select a file and make a copy in some
other
| > | location or media.
| >
| > | Upload means to use a procedure to send a file to a
website.
| > | The opposite generally of download.
| >
| > Yes, but it also refers to a process that is the
opposite of downloading
| > as
| > I described it above; sending files to a "website" is a
form of uploading,
| > but there are others.
| >
| > | Email is a method of sending data using mail servers
to
| > | addresses in domains, name@domain.
| >
| > E-mail is any sort of electronic transfer of messages;
it can occur
| > without
| > mail servers.
| >
| > | Attachment is a method for including files of any type
along
| > | with an email, it is different from uploading as it
uses
| > | different servers and encoding methods.
| >
| > E-mail messages, and their attachments, if there are
any, must be
| > *uploaded*
| > to the mail server, and incoming mail may be
*downloaded* from the server.
| > The method of tranfer may be different, but it's still
uploading and
| > downloading.
| > |
| > |
| > | --
| > | The people think the Constitution protects their
rights;
| > | But government sees it as an obstacle to be overcome.
| > |
| > |
| > | | > | | Could someone please properly explain the meaning of
the
| > | word 'download'?
| > | | Where I work none of my co-workers knows a thing
beyond
| > | emailing and porn
| > | | when it comes to techno or should I say
techno-nothing.
| > | The word download
| > | | comes up when someone does any transfer of data. 'I
| > | downloaded windows last
| > | | night' can be heard at coffee break or 'could you
please
| > | download that onto
| > | | CD-ROM for me so I can take it home?'. I try to
explain a
| > | difference because
| > | | these guys are anal about everything else they do
but I am
| > | an outcast among
| > | | Intel midgets.
| > | |
| > | | Thanks.
| > | |
| > | | J.
| > | |
| > | |
| > |
| > |
| >
| >
|
|

 

[Jim Macklin]

From the "That 70s Show... BURN

message |
| || I think Jim knows of all these parameters, but in order
to clarify things
| he
|| made things more simple.
||
||SNIP

|| |
| So that even you could understand.
|
|

 

[John]

In


Although that may be a technical misuse of the term, it doesn't
bother me very much, since the most important aspect of a
download is that it's a file transfer, and that's what's conveyed
in that sentence.

But there's another misuse of the term that's becoming much more
common, and it is, in my view, a much greater problem--that's
using the word "download" to mean "install." That's just plain
and simple wrong, and typically leads to exchanges like the
following:

"How can I download Windows?"

"You can't download it; you have to buy it."

Because the first person misused the term, the second didn't
understand him, and the first probably didn't understand the
answer.

Thanks to everyone that replied and reminded me how meanings quickly
change. I guess there would be no meaning to the word 'offload' in computer
terms.

J.

 

[Jim Macklin]

| Ken Blake wrote:
| > In
| > Hugh <[email protected]> typed:
| >
| >> From:
| >>
http://www.computeruser.com/resources/dictionary/noframes/nf.definition.html
| >> "To transfer files or data from one computer to
another. To
| >> download
| >> means to receive; to upload means to transmit. "
| SNIP

| >>> Thanks.
| >>>
| Thanks to everyone that replied and reminded me how
meanings quickly
| change. I guess there would be no meaning to the word
'offload' in computer
| terms.
|
| J.
|
|
Perhaps "offload" does have related explanatory use.
Virtual memory or pagefile usage. A delivery truck has
4,000 boxes but needs to deliver 2,000 more boxes to a
destination that is along the way. But there is only space
for 5,000 boxes inside the truck. So a trailer is used to
carry the extra boxes and the 1,000 boxes are offloaded to
the trailer (VM-pagefile) and when delivered, the empty
trailer is hauled and there is room for the 4,000 boxes to
the primary customer. Not a perfect model. Anybody care to
improve or slam it?

 

[JTS]

In



Although that may be a technical misuse of the term, it doesn't
bother me very much, since the most important aspect of a
download is that it's a file transfer, and that's what's conveyed
in that sentence.

But there's another misuse of the term that's becoming much more
common, and it is, in my view, a much greater problem--that's
using the word "download" to mean "install." That's just plain
and simple wrong, and typically leads to exchanges like the
following:

"How can I download Windows?"

"You can't download it; you have to buy it."

Actually, you can download, buy and install Windows.

 

[Alex Nichol]

Yes, but it also refers to a process that is the opposite of downloading as
I described it above; sending files to a "website" is a form of uploading,
but there are others.

I suggest thinking of it as download being a transfer from elsewhere
*to* your machine; upload as a transfer *from* your machine to
elsewhere.

The one to be sat on firmly, as Ken Blake says is the misuse of download
to mean install. Download Windows is wrong and confusing

 

[Steve N.]

In



Although that may be a technical misuse of the term, it doesn't
bother me very much, since the most important aspect of a
download is that it's a file transfer, and that's what's conveyed
in that sentence.

But there's another misuse of the term that's becoming much more
common, and it is, in my view, a much greater problem--that's
using the word "download" to mean "install." That's just plain
and simple wrong, and typically leads to exchanges like the
following:

"How can I download Windows?"

"You can't download it; you have to buy it."

Because the first person misused the term, the second didn't
understand him, and the first probably didn't understand the
answer.

What makes it worse is that big name software companies make the same
mistake. Instal Lotus Notes and watch it say "downloading files..." from
the CD.

Steve

 

[Steve N.]

Actually, you can download, buy and install Windows.

Not legitimately. A proper package of Windows includes the COA and
packaging in order to be legit. How are you going to download a COA and
a box/shrinkwrapped booklet?

Steve

 

[R. McCarty]

Lot's of grammatical misnomers around. In the case you sighted.
I would think the proper terminology would be transferring or
installing instead of downloading.

Maybe it's a Nit-Pick, but I talk customers through issue(s) on the
phone and hear all kinds of misstatements. I especially enjoy hearing
people pronounce Symantec and McAfee. It's interesting that those
two companies both have names that most folks call "Sematek and
Mac-affee"