FIREFOX issue trying to change default download folder in mac

Hey I posted this in the mozilla forums, but figure someone on here might be more helpful since this is a mac specific issue for me ( doesn't happen in windows).

So I've dealt with this issue ever since firefox 3 came around (maybe even longer) and I finally want to fix it. I changed the default download folder in firefox, but no matter what I do, when I open an attachment choosing "open with" firefox still saves this in the "downloads" folder. How can I change this???

There is a forum post here, but none of the suggestions helped me...

http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20080302205219455

Please help before I pull all my hair out!

I'm running:
latest firefox 3
Mac Leopard 10.5.6

Thanks

anyone familiar with the bug reports? If I'm reading this correctly it supposidely has been fixed?

https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=384068#c39

nevermind.. the bug is here.. and despite being open since 2004 it is still not fixed. Pretty ridiculous in my opinion...

https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=311292

if you want it fixed, login to bugzilla and vote for it!!!

so I found a workaround and I'm very happy:

------- Comment #55 From andreas.fischlin 2008-08-14 15:32:20 PST (-) [reply] -------

I believe the simplest workaround is to get the browser Camino
(http://caminobrowser.org). Camino is small, the smaller sister of FireFox, and
it doesn't hurt to have an additional browser available. Use Camino's
preference tab "Downloads" to set the global (system wide) preference for
download folder ("Save downloaded files to:"). You can set this to any folder
you like. You can even choose a folder that is used by OS X for temporary
storage and profit from the fact that OS X will automatically cleanup that
folder for you. That folder is the 'tmp' folder which resides in a normally
hidden folder 'private' (in Unix notation: /private).

The latter is actually normally hidden in the Finder and you may have
difficulties to choose it. Then you have two options: You either use another
folder or you make that hidden, nifty folder visible for ordinary selection via
the OS X standard folder choosing dialog. There are again several techniques to
make that folder visible. The simplest is to use the Finders menu command "Go
-> Go to Folder..." and then type "/private" into the appearing text field and
press button "Go". The folder 'private" should open in an ordinary Finder
window. You should see several folders within tha window, 'tmp' being one of
them. Now you can make an alias from the folder 'tmp', for instance by
Cmd-Option-dragging its icon to some other, visible folder. If such an alias
resides in some normally visible folder, say your desktop, your home folder, or
under Leopard your Downloads folder, you can see it always. Therefore you can
also choose it via Camino's preferences. Once set you could even trash that
alias. However, I keep this alias around. This way i can easily switch the
preference anytime to another folder or again back to the 'tmp' folder.

 

I agree it would be nice to have a default download folder and default temp folder in mac, like windows has but they don't. Until then firefox should be able to modify the "temp" folder location (essentially the default download folder for mac) just like camino or safari can. Even if it is only an advanced setting in about:config - at least give the power users the ability to control this without the stupid workaround I described above..

thoughts?

 

Yes Camino can definitely change the download location.. Haven't tried Safari, but assume it can as well.

I can't imagine any impact except downloading things to a different folder. Even the discussion on bugzilla has not indicated any concern on this side. There is simply concern on how to present this choice to the user, when there is already a setting for "download folder".

The bug has been open since 2004, and it is currently not assigned to anyone, so I think people have given up on it.

 

It most certainly is not fixed. You are looking at the wrong bug. Please refer to:

https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=311292

The status is "NEW"
and the assigned to is "Nobody; OK to take it and work on it"


Thanks