dumb question re meaning of "download"

[dclair]

Never mattered before but now I'm on broadband and paying per mb.
If I open a webpage and peruse it, is that "downloading"? Or not?
B'cause "downloading" (also?) means fetching a program or email onto my computer.
I'm confused.
Dclair

 

[Shamou]

Never mattered before but now I'm on broadband and paying per mb.
If I open a webpage and peruse it, is that "downloading"? Or not?
B'cause "downloading" (also?) means fetching a program or email onto my computer.
I'm confused.
Dclair

Definition of Download

To copy data (usually an entire file) from a main source to a peripheral device. The term is often used to describe the process of copying a file from an online service or bulletin board service (BBS) to one's own computer.

Downloading can also refer to copying a file from a network file server to a computer on the network.
In addition, the term is used to describe the process of loading a font into a laser printer. The font is first copied from a disk to the printer's local memory. A font that has been downloaded like this is called a soft font to distinguish it from the hard fonts that are permanently in the printer's memory.

The opposite of download is upload, which means to copy a file from your own computer to another computer


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[TerryNet]

Welcome, dclair.

"Dumb" questions are supposed to be easy to answer, and yours isn't all that easy.

Actually I'd answer yes and no. Yes, anything that gets transmitted from/through your internet provider is "downloaded." Doesn't matter whether it is a file that is saved to your harddrive, an email message that you read and discard or web page displayed in your browser.

And, I'm sure you'll agree, the answer is also No because in general conversation we reserve "download" for files/applications that we save more or less permanently.

 

[dclair]

Thank you both for the explanations. I do understand and it's as I thought.
Dclair

 

[lagopi]

To answer you directly:

Yes, downloading in this context includes
1. the emails
2. web pages you see in browsers.
3. Instant messengers.
4. Updates of softwares like anti virus.
5. Windows update.
6. Finally, of course the files you download