Rubenerd

Here’s another to add to my increasing list of online anti-patterns. If you go to a website, say Scribd, and click the Download link, you’re asked to sign up or log in. This… is not downloading the document! Therefore, the link isn’t misleading, it’s outright lying. What it should say is Sign In to Download; but we all know why they don’t.

The related anti-pattern appears on software download sites that run advertisements with giant Download buttons. There’s only one reason they do this, and I won’t insult your intelligence spelling it out!