Liz, while 'Jeff' up there says he could explain he 1) obviously can't, and 2) seems to just like calling people on Mudcat (and undoubtedly other places) stupid. Completely pointless.

You load a web page on your computer. The information for that page is transferred and that's it - no more contact until you ask for more information by clicking on a link or refreshing. You aren't "plugged in." You can disconnect from the internet and the page will still show on your computer.

Having more than one browser window open at a time justs lets people read one page while they request information for another, or request information for more than one page. It alows multiple requests for information at the same time.

Insead of the shopping cart analogy, think of it as ordering food at a restaurant. Once they hand you your food, you're done unless you want something else. You can order each dish separately, in sequence, or you can order everything at the same time. The staff doesn't work any more or any less, but the food arrives faster.