If Desktop dir does not exist, instead of creating Desktop/downloads, defaults to /home/user as default download directory without creating the Desktop/downloads dir
https://postimg.cc/3kn3GG6Y

Right after initial install my friend experienced this issue of sharing the user dir under home instead of the default downloads dir in the Library tab.

i tried this on linux and it made the folder 'downloads' on the desktop.
what OS were you/your friend using?

I tried this with the installed v1.59 on Win 7 and it worked correctly.
Are you and/or your friend using the installed version or the portable?

If anyone else sees anything like this let me know.

The default download dir on Linux is the output of g_get_user_special_dir(G_USER_DIRECTORY_DESKTOP) appended with /downloads/.  Even if it fails to create, it should only init-config auto-add with /downloads/ on the end.  Maybe there was something strange with portable mode and changing location... but I haven't seen anything obvious yet.

I am that friend, but that was a bit misstated.  I download to /home/user (where all my personal/confidential files are also) not /home/user/Downloads (I don't use such windows-style user directories/folders, nor Desktop (which I've renamed to hide) and neither do many older users/programmers) so it should make 100% clear on setup that the download folder is also the share folder but what would be best--the right thing to do--is allow specifying download & share folders separately.  No one wants to specify a download folder then find out it's also the share folder by stuff being shared they don't want to!  I separated my share folder because when I use various filesharing that saves as .part, etc., files, until complete, some people were leeching GB of .part files and wasting bandwidth.  That's why I only use a separate share folder.  After I finish downloading, if I want to keep it, I move it to the share folder and rescan my shares.  All other filesharing I know (and I've used many) carefully allows separating download & share locations.

I agree that “Downloads folder” is a bit misleading. It would be better to say “Shared folder (you can add other locations for downloaded and uploaded files later)”, or maybe even ask for download location on first attempt to do it.