Today Yazsoft, the developers of Speed Download decided the bad press they were getting from not giving Macheist customers a free upgrade to version 5.0 of their software was not worth the few licenses they'd have to give out to calm down the vocal minority that somehow decided they got just a little less free stuff than they deserved. I bought the Macheist bundle and personally, I didn't feel cheated in slightest. I was given Speed Download 4, basically for free; and the jump in logic I'd need to make to assume that I was entitled to get the upgrade totally gratis alludes me. Regardless, I never actually installed Speed Download 4, so when my free registration what sent I figured that since so many users fought so hard to right this "injustice", I should at least install the newer version to what all the fuss was about.
The Speed Download 5 distribution is a zip file containing the Speed Download app and nothing else. Without any installation instructions or a readme file I figured following standard Mac procedure was a good idea and copied the app bundle into my Applications folder and opened it. When run for the first time the app gave me two choices; a "manual" install that claimed to let me decide which components to set up and a "automatic" install that would integrate Speed Download into Safari, iTunes and possibly the small nerve cluster at the base of my brain that controls breathing (I'm just hypothesizing here). Having never used the application before, and not being familiar with the developers I chose the "manual" setup.
Things seem to go smoothly and once the application was set up and registered I figured quick test was in order. I opened Gmail and clicked the download link on a recently received file attachment and watched the default Safari download window quickly save the file to my Downloads folder.
"Must be the manual install." I deduced aloud. "I bet I just need to turn on something in the application preferences."
Within in the application preferences however, the Safari integration pane seemed to indicate that nothing was disabled and everything should be working.
"I'll just check the docs." I said.
I can only assume these docs were written for the obviously more intelligent users who had chosen the "automatic" setup as there didn't seem to be any information on "setting up" the Safari integration.
"Ok, fine, I'll uninstall the application and try the "automatic" setup." I conceded.
I selected the support item entitled "How to uninstall speed download properly" and was greeted with the following instructions:
- You cannot simply trash the Speed Download folder to un-install it.
- You must use the included un-installer.
- Quit all browsers and any running copy of Speed Download.
- Run the SD Uninstaller (located in your Speed Download folder).
- Log out and log back in.
- Empty the trash.
Now the observant reader may recall that the version 5 distribution came as a zip file containing only the application bundle. There was no "Speed Download" folder to speak of, let alone an "SD Uninstaller". Is the Speed Download folder created when you choose an automatic install? It didn't say.
This entire process may have taken slightly longer than 30 seconds, but if so, just slightly; and as a direct result of my brief experience with this program, I now have an unfortunate first impression of Yazsoft. Installing an application on my computer is a vote a confidence (or at least a wager against the likelihood said application will corrupt my system) and in my opinion your application should describe in detail what it wants to install and what functionality you will be surrendering by not letting it do so.
This was definately not the worst software experience I've had, and admitedly, I'm being rather harsh on a program that probably works quite well for people who are were willing to let it install itself into wherever it wants. Perhaps as a part-time Windows user, I've become paranoid about the true intentions of the applications I install. Regardless, for now Speed Download has been "App Zapped" from my Application folder.
I hope the Macheist users are happy with it.
Update: I sent an email regarding the "missing" uninstaller to Yazsoft's support email address and received a very quick reply with the uninstaller attached. This kind of support response time on a Saturday is impressive and as I was asked, I tried to quickly summarize my issue with the setup process in reply. I will definitely have to give the application another try.
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