Re: Downloader design proposal

[Janosch Rolles <janosch base2 de>]

> I agree about something like this for automatic downloads (in fact we
> already have it, without pref). But I have yet to see a good reason to
> why is so important for people to be able to micromanage every single
> file they download *from the filepicker*. If using nautilus, the GNOME
> file manager, to manage files is such a horrible nightmare we are surely
> making some big mistakes in its design.
Just to give some user feedback: for me (working on the computer most of
the day) it IS important to *micromanage downloaded files from the
filepicker*. I often do several things at the same time or start a
download while being at the phone. If I pick the correct download folder
in that moment everything will be cleaned up. If all the downloads go to
one download directory I would get a big mess of files.

>
> Besides, we added Download Link
> As... in the context menu, which will show a filepicker in case you
> really want that. Of course, this requires one more click, but I see it
> as the way for skilled people to make their downloads, and I think we
> should try to design for the average user, not the expert one.
The "Download Link As..." thing works fine for me. The one additional
click is NO PROBLEM for an experienced user.

I think both, the average user and the expert one should be supported by
epiphany. So my wish: "Download Link As..." should open a *good* file
picker, maybe with bookmarks to favorite folders.

IMPORTANT: The file should be downloaded directly to the *picked folder*
since this is the only good way to download big files. Downloading to a
cache directory which may not have enough space is bad. Copying a big
file from cache to the download after the download has been finished is
bad, too.
My wish would be to have a simple download manager witch creates a
*filename.part* file in the destination directory and which will be
renamed to *filename* as soon as the download has been finished. I think
this is the only way to be able to resume bigger downloads. If they're
all stored in a cache directory this cache will become too big or it
will not keep the incomplete downloads and they will be lost.

Well, these are all things for the *expert user* but I think they are
very useful for a lot of users. Can we expect the average user to not
use the "Download File As..." function or do we need a preferences
option? Or will that download manager become an extension for the
*expert users*??

Best regards and thanks for working on epiphany!!
Janosch