t 'n t luoma

So I was downloading Firefox today (I know, shock and horror.... I keep it around, I just don't use it all that often) when I was yet again I was amused by their marketing not-untrue-but-not-the-whole-truth:

Hassle-Free Downloading: Files you download are automatically saved to your Desktop so they're easy to find. Fewer prompts mean files download quicker.

I can hear you already saying "Wow! That's cool, I mean, when it comes to downloading, faster is better, so Firefox must be better!"

Sure. But they have set up a false dichotomy, suggesting that you can have only one of these options: 1) fast download or 2) choose where you want the file to be saved.

Opera, on the other hand, starts to download every bit as soon as Firefox. You can set download folders for certain file types (granted, that requires a bit of a propeller hat to configure), or you can do "Quick Download" and have it download to your default directory. So already you have more choices.

But what if you're like me, and you don't want to bother setting up download folders, and you don't want everything to go to your Desktop?

What if you want to click on a download link and then create a new folder for the download, AND you also want to have the fastest download possible?

Well, then you should use Opera. Opera will start downloading the file immediately. You can save it to your default folder, or make a new folder, and Opera will be downloading all along.

Firefox says they have given you a faster solution, but it limits your freedom. You end up working for the computer under its terms (i.e. "If you want faster downloads, you'll do as I say"). Opera says, "Take your time, work how you want, I'm here doing what you asked in the background."

I hereby declare "Hassle Free Downloading" to be "Freedom Restricted Downloading"... it's every bit as true as what Firefox is trying to push off as truth.