To receive a file transmitted over a network. In any communications session, "download" means receive, and "upload" means send. The download/upload often implies a big/little scenario, in which data are being downloaded from the "big" server into the "little" user's computer. Uploading implies sending data from the little computer to the big computer.
The time it takes to download data depends on the size of the file and network speed. Via the standard V.92 analog dial-up modem, small Web pages take a few seconds if everything is running smoothly, but a 20MB video file can take an hour. Downloading over a DSL or cable modem can be 15 to 400 times as fast. Downloading from a file server on a local network (LAN) can even be faster.
From the Internet
Downloading files from the Internet has become a snap with "click here to download this file" messages on Web pages. Your Web browser prompts you where to save the file. If the file is software that has to be installed, most browsers give you the option of running the program without worrying about where to save it first. See download protocol and client download.
From the Local LAN
On a network server in your company's LAN, sharable files are placed in public folders that can be downloaded using the normal file management procedures of the operating system. For example, in a Windows LAN, My Network Places or Network Neighborhood can be used to locate sharable files by computer name, drive letter, folder and file name.
Download to Your iPod
Transferring files from your computer to your iPod or other digital music player is actually copying between storage devices on the same computer. When plugged into a USB port, the music player becomes another hard drive to the computer. While this is not a network connection, the phrase "downloading to the music player" is widely used. In this case, it takes on the big/little implication: the "big" computer is transmitting to the "little" music player.
The time it takes to download data depends on the size of the file and network speed. Via the standard V.92 analog dial-up modem, small Web pages take a few seconds if everything is running smoothly, but a 20MB video file can take an hour. Downloading over a DSL or cable modem can be 15 to 400 times as fast. Downloading from a file server on a local network (LAN) can even be faster.
From the Internet
Downloading files from the Internet has become a snap with "click here to download this file" messages on Web pages. Your Web browser prompts you where to save the file. If the file is software that has to be installed, most browsers give you the option of running the program without worrying about where to save it first. See download protocol and client download.
From the Local LAN
On a network server in your company's LAN, sharable files are placed in public folders that can be downloaded using the normal file management procedures of the operating system. For example, in a Windows LAN, My Network Places or Network Neighborhood can be used to locate sharable files by computer name, drive letter, folder and file name.
Download to Your iPod
Transferring files from your computer to your iPod or other digital music player is actually copying between storage devices on the same computer. When plugged into a USB port, the music player becomes another hard drive to the computer. While this is not a network connection, the phrase "downloading to the music player" is widely used. In this case, it takes on the big/little implication: the "big" computer is transmitting to the "little" music player.
 | Reproduced with permission from Computer Desktop Encyclopedia. Copyright (c) 1981-2009 The Computer Language Company Inc. All rights reserved. |
Additional Resources
- A1 Website Download 2.0.2 (Windows)
- Download and archive entire Web sites such as forums, galleries, online books and articles. Web site downloader can perform Web site login and handle cookies. Ready to copy and store Web sites on portable media such USB and CD. Convert dynamic database driven Web sites into static. Use if traveling...
- Software downloads 2009-11-22
- Bulk Image Downloader 2.22.0.0 (Windows)
- Bulk Image Downloader is a simple to use yet powerful Web gallery downloading tool. It can download full sized images from almost any thumbnailed Web gallery, bypassing all annoying pop-ups and adverts. Almost all popular image hosting sites (such as imagefap, imagevenue, flickr and imageshack) are supported. Multi page imagefap,...
- Software downloads 2009-11-22
- Google Chrome OS has arrived as free VMWare download
- Somebody will make it available in a more public area, I'm sure.Being that it's open source, somebody's going to make it available in a more public area, I'm sure. I'll wait until then.RE: Google Chrome OS has arrived as free VMWare downloadthat's not the real release... that's a linux based...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-20
- Photo Download Tool 2.1c (Windows)
- A simple digital camera download tool that downloads photos in a single step from up to 5 different cameras / mobiles / HDD videos - Manages your photo directories automatically with current date so prevents overwriting any photos. Photo backup option is also available. All photo and other file types...
- Software downloads 2009-11-20
- uSeesoft Free YouTube Downloader 1.0.1.6 (Windows)
- uSeesoft Free YouTube Downloader is a tool which provides an easy way to download, save and play YouTube online videos. uSeesoft Free YouTube Downloader can help you download videos and audios with fast speed. This tool is easy to use. You can add direct URL of video/audio which you want...
- Software downloads 2009-11-20
- Supersonic Download Accelerator 3.5 (Windows)
- Supersonic Download Accelerator is a simple and reliable download manager with excellent features like, segmented downloads for acceleration and simultaneous downloads. Supersonic increase your download speed by finding multiple sources and allows you to preview downloads. For download you can even use links stored in you clipboard, moreover, and both...
- Software downloads 2009-11-19
- Easy MP3 Downloader 3.3.4.6 (Windows)
- Easy MP3 Downloader, a revolutionary new program, provides you an easy, efficient and legitimate method to search and download music. Over 100 million songs are available. It is not a Peer-to-Peer program and it is 100% clean, safe and legal. You're not sharing music with others and what you download...
- Software downloads 2009-11-19
- Mozilla locks out rogue Firefox add-ons
- Firefox has conquered IEIt is evident that Firefox free has conquered IE, plus the fact the majority of sites work regardless of browser.The days of this old bait & switch from MS are over.But I thought the whole point behind "open source"......was to allow ANYONE to put code in their...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-18
- Microsoft Office 2010, SharePoint 2010 public betas now available for download
- Microsoft still firmly planted in the LAST century.NTLinux Kernel speaks?Hmmm, I'd fear for the future of Linux if this is what comes out of it. You'd think the "many eyes" would have caught such silly logic in the kernel years ago...and looking ready to dominate this oneas well.Google is...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-18
- Febooti fileTweak Download Speed 3.0 (Windows)
- Internet download speed test measures your connection download speed and compares it to various standard connection types. Optimized for easiness of use and functionality, Febooti freeware download speed utility provides valuable means for calculating file download times thus facilitating web designing and downloading estimation processes. Displays times and graphs. ...
- Software downloads 2009-11-18
- YouTube Music Downloader 3.0.1 (Windows)
- An easy-to-use windows software to download youtube music videos and convert them to MP3, AVI, WMV, MOV, MP4, 3GP formats. You can download millions of music from youtube and listen them on your iPod, MP3 Player or watch them on your PC, iPod, iPhone. Unlimited download 6,000,000+ music from YouTube,...
- Software downloads 2009-11-18
- NeoDownloader 2.4 (Windows)
- The Web is a land of joys and wonders. Myriads of digital images, video clips and other downloadable files are waiting for you. In the past, you could use your browser to download them. But, these days, you need more powerful and more specialized tools to download files from the...
- Software downloads 2009-11-17
- Get Youtube Video 1.5 (Windows)
- Get Youtube Video is used to download the the video from Youtube Web site to Local machine, so the video can be watched offline. It's very easy to use, just copy the web page link(e.g. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42aKiDxbpUs), and paste it into Get Youtube Video, then click Download button to start download...
- Software downloads 2009-11-17
- Synology Disk Station DS409slim - NAS server
- Synology Disk Station DS409slim is a true miniature powerhouse in the network-attached storage device market. It's the first 2.5-inch hard drive-based NAS server we've reviewed that offers hot-swappable capability. However, that is its least impressive feature. The server did well in our performance tests and, like other Synology products we've...
- Product reviews 2009-11-16
- VDownloader 1.12 (Windows)
- Search for videos in sites like YouTube, DailyMotion, Yahoo, Megaupload, or Google at the same time. You can watch, download, or save videos with just one click. Its embedded meta search engine makes VDownloader different from other download managers. It searches at the same time in the most popular video...
- Software downloads 2009-11-16
- Download Accelerator Manager 4.1.4 (Windows)
- Download Web video and music, accelerate, schedule, resume, recover, and manage Internet downloads. Download Accelerator Manager DAM is made for Internet file and social video, music, and more, downloading, from most media sites, like YouTube, etc. DAM is fast, light, easy to use, free and safe. DAM v4 releases MediaGrabber,...
- Software downloads 2009-11-14
- Verizon to test sending RIAA copyright warnings
- As long as...it's not a 3 strike policy... i'm relativaly ok with this particular thing...Just a notice and notice system, sometimes users dont know if they are doing something illegal. Furthermore, can they proof without anny doubt that there's a copyright infrigement?no they cannotWith such a large criminal records, the...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-13
- Super MP3 Download 3.2.7.2 (Windows)
- Super MP3 Download is easy-to-use software which enables you to fast download over 100 million MP3 for free from the largest download network and unlimitedly listen to music online before you download them. You can try the searched results to decide which one to download. Super MP3 download always brings...
- Software downloads 2009-11-12
- KooLoader 1.6 (Windows)
- KooLoader is an all in one download manager software that guarantees a worthy Internet downloading experience through the addition of an adaptive download accelerator, segmented downloads for acceleration, an astounding number of simultaneous downloads. The program offers support for Internet Explorer, Firefox. Anytime you need to download something online, copying...
- Software downloads 2009-11-12
- Music MP3 Get 4.2.0.2 (Windows)
- Music MP3 Get is an efficient and easy-to-use application which helps you search the social websites for FREE MP3 music and legally download them. More than 110 million MP3 songs available for download. 100% Legal - Only download from social music websites other than individual's PC. Besides the most popular...
- Software downloads 2009-11-12
Neighboring Terms
Premier Vendor Content Whitepapers, webcasts & resources from our Power Center Sponsors
- Keep Up With The Latest In Document Management with The DocuMentor.
-
Doc delivers the scoop on today's enterprise content management, printer maintenance, and all other issues related to document management. It's the DocuMentor Blog.
- Learn more >>
- The best support in the Linux business
-
If Linux is going to power your mission-critical applications, you'd better have the best support known to business. Novell was rated the top provider of Linux technical support.
- Learn more >>
- The more you simplify, the more you save
-
When you transition from your existing Red Hat environment to SUSE Linux Enterprise from Novell, you can recognize dramatic cost savings, perhaps as much 50%
- Learn more >>
- New Online Dashboard for IT Leaders
-
Read about top issues IT decision-makers face every day, plus get cost-effective solutions to real-life IT problems.
- Learn more >>
- Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online - Free Six-Month Trial for Eligible Organizations
-
Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online provides fast online access, simple contact management and better sales performance for a low monthly cost - the best value on the market today.
- Learn more about the free, six-month trial offer>>
SmartPlanet
- Thought-provoking progressive ideas on diverse topics that intersect with technology, business, and life, and matter to the world at large. Visit SmartPlanet
- More from IBM
-
- Can your business work smarter? Learn more about Lotus Symphony
- Learn how to work smarter and optimize cost using the IBM Smart SOA approach Download the eBook
- Smarter ways to make smarter products Read the brief from IBM
