Seriously. I have yet to find a non-techie user whose Downloads folder is not a complete mess, and why would they even know to organize it, it's so hidden from regular view. Many would just re-download things they might have already downloaded.

Why would you need to organize your downloads folder? I just leave everything I download there until I have a reason to clear it (like low disk space, reinstalling the OS, upgrading the drive, etc.) Unless I'm down loading a file that I want to move somewhere else of course. But installers and things that get downloaded to print and all kinds of things like that just stay in the DL folder because why not.

Just imagine the complete mess their Desktop would be if the OS sent downloads there, lol.

That's the point. A mess in plain sight is a mess that gets resolved.

Microsoft seemed to think shoving everything into a junk drawer was a better solution.

Download discoverability is a harder problem than it seems to solve. People may go a long time without seeing their desktop, because it is covered by windows they are interacting with. If they're not familiar with what is on their desktop, they would not easily recognize a new icon that shows up there.