Same problem here. I don't have much space on my main drive, so I don't have any downloads stored inside the home folder, I have everything on my secondary hard drive. What is the reason for this restriction?
I wonder though if perhaps fixing the patent office is a dead end, and that instead the patent office should be treated merely as a record holder, were you pay a fee for a shallow review and a time stamped filing, and then you need to use the court system to uphold them. Upholding patents should be much costlier than it is today. That is to say, it should be costlier if you file a claim that has no merit. That way it would be up to these assholes to determine wether or not they have patented something that is of actual value.
Really cool to see a company implement such open policies! Have you by any chance read Maverick or The seven day weekend by Ricardo Semler? Lots of similar ideas in there, and well worth the read!
you're right, it's not about it being fair, it's about it being the market rate for your skills in your area. If you want to live in Podunk, Nowhere, how can you expect an employer to pay you twice what anyone else in your town is willing to offer you? Especially considering that you'll be mostly telecommuting. Most companies prefer to have you working in their offices. Paying NYC rates to someone working from home, in a low wage area, makes no sense.