There is no properly defined glossary of computer terms.
The correct answer is: “whatever the writer/programmer thought of as “up””
Both are downloading. You are downloading from the server, and the server is downloading to you.
If you were sending a file to the server, you and the server would both be uploading.
I can understand you disagreeing, but you don’t even seem to have tried to understand what is being said.
I used to work for a microprocessor based protective relay company that also made controllers for power systems and substation automation, and we would upload new settings to the relays, after having downloaded the as-found settings for our records. Then I moved to a job where I programmed real PLCs and the switch in terminology infuriates me.
I mean, they infuriate me like Cubs fans do. I’m sure all these “heirarchists” are great people, but they’re still wrong. No hard feelings though. 
Sorry, but you cannot download “to” something. You download “from” something.
You upload “to” something.
I understand what others are saying, I just don’t understand WHY they are saying it, because it’s incorrect.
During a file transfer, both sides cannot be “downloading”
Are you really not able to understand that people can define and use terms in different ways?
If the person at Apple had initiated the transfer, then, yes, I would expect them to say they were uploading the file to my computer. Though, if I initiated the transfer, then I am downloading and the tech isn’t involved in the transfer. However, I would argue that the server is uploading the data to me, and my computer is downloading the data.
That said, this is only true because the data is going across the Internet. I would not use those terms at all on my home network, or with any devices connected directly to my computer. Those are just file transfers or sharing. Or possibly “installing” if there’s a transfer and then the device does something. Or possibly “flashing” when it comes to firmware.
Suppose that we’re working as roofers. I’m on the ground, and you’re on the roof. You pass a bucket of tools to me. Would you say that you’re lowering the bucket, and I’m raising the bucket, because we can’t be doing the same thing?
I can conceive it, sure. But it seems completely at odds with the definitions I’ve been taught since I started dealing with Internet back in 1995. Since I was 10 years old then, that means I’ve known these definitions as I described them for the majority of my life.
I have only ever heard “download to” from people who know less about technology. They would seem to not even know the word “upload” exists. Like, they’d say the downloaded a file to their Gmail–which doesn’t fit either definition.
It is about as strange as if I found out some people use “down” to mean “towards the surface of the Earth,” and so up and down invert when you are under ground.
Sure they can. If you imagine the SDMB server at the top of a diagram, and your laptop at the bottom, data that flows down the page is downloading, data that flows up the page is uploading. So: the SDMB server sends a download, I receive a download; the SDMB server downloads a file to me; I download a file from the SDMB server. All synonymous expressions. The word “upload” is only be used if the data is flowing in the opposite direction. That’s the hierarchical model for usage of these words.
Your usage is different, I get that. There’s no point going back and forth insisting that one way of using these words is wrong and one is right. It’s pretty clear from this thread that both variants are common.
No, I would say the person on the roof is lowering the tools, and the person on the ground is neither lowering nor raising them. As such, that doesn’t work for me as a metaphor for computers transferring data.
What does is if you called it “giving” the bucket to the other guy, and the other person “receiving.” Then you can do both at the same time. As such, that seems the better mapping for upload and download.
Going back to the Apple example, I would expect that the computer the Apple tech was using would list the outgoing data as affected by its upload rate, and it’s incoming data as affected by its download rate. Their connection to the Internet will not distinguish based on a hierarchy.
Are you guys claiming this is not true, and Apple’s connection to the Internet considers the outgoing data from its servers to be downloading, and thus is affected by the download rate of their connection?
Some examples of hierarchical usage:
Microsoft makes a new version of the MSRT available every month for automatic download to users’ computers via Windows Update/Microsoft Update, after which it runs one time to check for and remove malware infections
– Microsoft Security Intelligence Report PDF
It would also appear that GAL databases do not download to users local machine, is there any reason for this?
– Microsoft Technet
KB4051963 Failing to download to clients via SCCM at multiple sites
– Microsoft Technet
Bitglass includes Zero-Day Malware Threat protection, powered by Cylance, to analyze and block known and unknown threats at rest in the cloud, or before upload from devices, or download to devices. In combination with Bitlgass Next-Gen agentless AJAX-VM technology, known and unknown malware threats are blocked even on unmanaged devices without agents.
– BitGlass Cloud Access Security Broker
The Internet Storm Center DShield project collects firewall and intrusion detection logs, either automatically or by manual upload from users. The log files are then analyzed centrally.
– Conference paper
Google Cloud File Upload and Log Manager. Log or file upload from clients including streaming or batch processing with minimal configuration.
– Site offering cloud data pipeline tools
On Saturday, July 28, Panopto will update the ox.cloud.panopto.eu cloud database. This update will require downtime from 23:00 BST July 28 for up to three hours (02:00 BST July 29). During this downtime, you will not be able to access recordings on your server, and any attempts to upload from clients will result in a “Server unable to connect” message.
– University of Oxford IT services
Azure IoT Hub supports a range of messaging patterns including:
- Device to cloud telemetry
- File upload from devices
- Request-reply methods which enables devices to be controlled from the cloud
– Azure IoT Hub Overview
- Verify whether the audio, video and image files are able to upload from devices or desktop
– Cross Browser Testing Checklist
Download files to device and upload from device.
– CrushFTP
Automatic log upload from devices
– XiO Cloud Tiers
After the AP was started, basal insulin delivery settings used by the AP for initialization were adapted weekly, and carbohydrate ratios were adapted every 4 weeks by an algorithm running on a cloud-based server, with automatic data upload from devices.
– Scientific paper (medical)
In all of those uses, upload is followed by from and download by to.
I didn’t really make my point. You could reverse the tos and froms and reverse the uploads and downloads. The statements would have mostly the same meaning except that a lot of those usages appear to be be referring to who initiated the transfer.
Um… no. You seem to be be saying that download to = upload from, and it doesn’t. It also has nothing to do with who initiated the transfer.
Are you saying that you believe that when talking about uploads and downloads, for you everything after the word upload and download is redundant?
I was coming back to say that alternatively if you change the word from or to, you can retain the overall meaning of the statement if you change the device mentioned after that word. So instead of upload from devices you’d say upload to servers.
The relativist perspective would say that “download” must always be “from”, and “upload” must always be “to”. GreenWyvern was only showing cites that contradicted this usage, and so all of her cites are “download to” and “upload from”.
And it would make no sense whatsoever, from either perspective, for Microsoft to make an update available for upload from a user’s computer.
Can I suggest that you read this whole thread before replying. But yes, in this definition, upload from device = upload to server.
For someone not arguing for a relative interpretation, you can upload to or from something as long as the correct device is mentioned. Upload to a client. Upload from the server. Download to my phone. Download from the server. They’re all equivalent statements.
Arguing for a relative interpretation, I mean.
Sure. Incorrect ways.
As stated above already, this analogy doesn’t really work. How about if I’m giving you a $20 bill? I’m “giving to” you. And you are “receiving from” me. You are not “giving from” me.
“Giving to” = uploading. “Receiving from” = downloading.
Many people use common words the wrong way. This appears to be another time.