How to download files which are not dmg files to Mac applications

.dmg files are disk images, similar to an .iso file.

You can think of them like a virtual CD. You put it into the CD drive (mount it), and its contents appear on your computer.

When used for software downloads, they are simply a way to bundle up files, like in a ZIP archive. Their advantage is that it's possible to customize the design (e.g. Finder window background and icon positions, see example below).

The actual program is in a special bundle or package directory with the usually invisible extension .app. It contains an application's resources, like image files, and the actual binary (the ".exe equivalent") that is executed when you start the program. If you want to compare it to a Windows equivalent, the closest would probably be the folder in C:\Program files\ created by a program's installer.

To install such an application from a disk image, you drag and drop it to your hard drive, e.g. the Applications directory. That's what a lot of disk images try to convey in their disk image design: You grab the application, Adium in this case, and drag it onto the Applications folder:

What is happening is that that files are being unzipped to the Downloads folder, BUT the date that is being used is the date that the file was created on whichever system it was created on.

Unfortunately that date is not usually helpful to you.

If you use Lion you can sort a folder by "Date Added" by pressing control + command + 4 (or View » Arrange By » Date Added).

If you are not on Lion (or even if you are), then I highly recommend The Unarchiver which works on 10.4+. It can: * extract zips to a specific directory (I use ~/Unzips) * always unzip to a new folder (which makes them easier to find, some files unzip to a different name, which is probably part of the confusion you are facing) * and it can set the modification date to the current date/time, which will help the sorting problem: * it can automatically open folder it creates (so you don't have to go hunting for it) * it can either keep the the original .zip or move it to the trash.

Even on Lion, I use it as my default ever since I found it, because of all the additional features that it offers.

And it's free (donations accepted).