[X-SW] Resuming of HTTP Downloads after a failure

[Philip J Robar]

On Feb 28, 2007, at 1:14 PM, Robert Ameeti wrote:

> At 12:50 PM -0800, 2/28/07, Philip J Robar wrote:
>
>> On Feb 28, 2007, at 12:20 PM, Robert Ameeti wrote:
>>
>>> At 12:10 PM -0800, 2/28/07, Philip J Robar wrote:
>>>
>>>> On Feb 28, 2007, at 9:54 AM, Robert Ameeti wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> When a download fails, some software can resume the download  
>>>>> where it left off thus effecting a quicker download for  
>>>>> problematically large files.
>>>>>
>>>>> Is this a function of the browser or does it require assistance  
>>>>> from the server?
>>>>
>>>> It's built into Safari and Firefox (and presumably Opera).
>>>
>>> Neither Safari nor Opera are continuing on incomplete downloads  
>>> for me. Perhaps it requires a compatible component on the server.
>>
>> I just stopped and restarted downloads in both browsers using the  
>> controls in their download windows. What do you mean by "incomplete"?
>
> When a server is overloaded, a download will often fail midstream. I  
> am thinking that some of these incomplete downloads can be resumed  
> where they stopped.

If you don't have the browser configured to automatically remove  
entries from the download list you should find the failed download  
there. There are controls, whose functionality seems obvious to me,  
that will pause, cancel, and restart downloads in both Safari and  
Firefox. I also was able to restart an unfinished download in Safari  
by double clicking on the unfinished download in the finder. An  
unfinished download is indicated by a white icon with the Safari  
emblem on it. Below the emblem will be a blue progress bar that has  
not moved all the way to the right and has the name of the file you  
were trying to download.

Phil