Downvotes? The person I responded to said you can't push data, you can very well push data without the other end initiating it. I specifically mentioned that you can do it with an HTTP POST (using curl as the UA).
In order for you to "push" as you're calling it, the server that you're "pushing" data to has to ACCEPT your connection attempt.
If it doesn't accept the connection your push goes nowhere. Imagine the webserver is down or the port is blocked. In that case the TCP session doesn't get initiated and you're unable to send the data.
EDIT: Considering that most consumer ISPs don't allow their customers to run servers (Google Fiber is an exception) it would be very very difficult for someone to successfully "push" data to consumers. And that's only if I'm willing to accept your definition of push, which I'm not.
It would only have to accept it with TCP. I could do an equivalent thing with UDP and just send data anywhere I want. (Remember the poster said the internet and not HTTP.)
Also, that has nothing to do with the point that "pushing isn't a thing on the internet" is a poor way of describing the problem being described, especially since the poster said the internet and not consumer's using their ISP (which still isn't strictly true, but is at least closer to the idea of the asymmetry in most consumer and business interent connections).
That doesn't negate the point that consumers download much more data than they upload.
When I say something incorrect, I expect to be corrected. I attempted to correct something that was factually wrong and don't believe I was mean while doing so.
Yes it is technically feasible to perform a push-type operation and send data to someone without their consent. But that's generally regarded as an attack, rather than legitimate network traffic.
I don't have any hard numbers but I would guess that at least 90% and very likely 95% or 99% of all internet traffic is pull-style.
Transferring data between two parties on the internet for any reason usually goes hand in hand with one person wanting to receive some data and another wanting to send it. If the sender doesn't want to send, no transfer takes place. If the receiver doesn't want the data, it's regarded as an attack.
I am having a hard time coming up with legitimate situations where someone sends data to my computer without my permission (express or implied) and that doesn't seem like some kind of attack.
But I'm also open (at least I'd like to believe I am) to someone cooking up a situation that proves me wrong.
This is just pedantry completely ignoring the main point - of course, each tcp/ip connection sends bytes in both directions. But the connection to a residential customers (Netflix users) are very asymmetric - they are almost always initiated by user's initiative and have users request a lot of data flowing in their direction, while almost none flows in the opposite direction. It's not like Netflix just decides to send me a gigabyte of a movie. It's also not like we exchange gigabytes routinely in both directions. It's me asking to get the movie and paying for the privilege of getting it. The fact that technically a tiny stream of bytes also gets in other direction is irrelevant here.
I was being pedantic. If you'd note elsewhere I explain to others the asymmetric nature of consumer ISPs, so I'm not obtuse to the issue. I just believe that saying untrue things is unhelpful to the problem. I want to be called out when I'm wrong; I hope others do to. I don't believe I was mean while doing so.
Also, nothing I said despite it being asymmetric, just that his point about pushing and pulling isn't the best way of describing the issue.
