I just figured out why we have had a surge in "the patch won't install" and "why is there no non-English help files" questions: all of the links at Version Tracker, MacUpdate, etc. were changed from links to the Neo/J *.php pages to direct links to the binaries.
Please, please, please do not link directly to binaries. Before the links were updated, I had personally set the links point to patch.php or download.php for a reason. Direct linking subverts our whole mirroring system and will probably cause my ISP bills to increase (or be cut off) very quickly when I release Neo/J 1.1 RC.
Furthermore, bypassing patch.php and download.php basically throws away the localized download and installation instructions that we have worked so hard to set up over the last year.
If you have direct linked to either the Neo/J 1.1 Beta or patch binaries, please update those links to point to the following:
MacUpdate refuses to allow you to link to download pages; they'll only link directly to binaries. I've been really dissatisfied "working" with them. I don't know what we should do here.
The VersionTracker links all should have been pointing to the php pages; I don't always go back and check after I submit an update that things were updated the way I submitted them...I will now.
Neither of these places are very flexible nor really set up for the kind of software that doesn't follow the wasteful Mac OS X pattern of "redownload the entire app" and, unfortunately, that makes it hard to make sure someone knows he/she has to download the full app first (although I've put that in the "What's New" section for each of the patch updates I've listed). If the Apple Installer were a little more descriptive in its error messages, that would help out, too.....
Smokey _________________ "[...] whether the duck drinks hot chocolate or coffee is irrelevant." -- ovvldc and sardisson in the NeoWiki
MacUpdate refuses to allow you to link to download pages; they'll only link directly to binaries. I've been really dissatisfied "working" with them. I don't know what we should do here.
Is the update software rejecting the link? If so, try using the direct link to the English page. Maybe their software is getting thrown by the redirect.
They didn't have a problem with this before and I find it hard to believe that the people at MacUpdate have never heard of mirroring. If they won't accept a link to my download.php page, then I will be forced to write a bunch of code to hide the binaries behind a CGI or PHP page.
sardisson wrote:
Neither of these places are very flexible nor really set up for the kind of software that doesn't follow the wasteful Mac OS X pattern of "redownload the entire app" and, unfortunately, that makes it hard to make sure someone knows he/she has to download the full app first (although I've put that in the "What's New" section for each of the patch updates I've listed). If the Apple Installer were a little more descriptive in its error messages, that would help out, too.....
I disagree with your assessment that I need to move everything into the Apple installer. Forcing people to download from localized download.php and patch.php has successfully kept the user installation problems and questions to a minimum. By forcing people to look for the link in a page in their preferred language, they usually go back to that same page at the first sign of problem. Why would I spend a ton of my time to change around something that has worked quite well for nearly two years? The problem is simple: linking directly to binaries is the cause of the problem so let's fix that problem instead of spending a rediculous amount of time (and money) bending and twisting to some website's arbitrary restrictions.
Most Neo/J are not native English speakers and so warnings on MacUpdate et al. don't get noticed or understood. As a result, we get the worst of everything: higher costs and frustrated new users.
Consequently, if they insist on a direct link to a binary, I would rather not have them link at all. As such I can and will ensure that such sites' direct links rarely work.
I submitted Patch-11 to MacUpdate with patch.php and they seem to have posted it like that...who knows how long it will last, though.
I've given up on getting them to update the screenshot, though. I've submitted a "new" (aka ca. 12-2004 1.1 Beta version) with each of the prior three updates, and even written the guy who runs MU, all to no avail....
MU's daily/weekly download stats are "nice," but otherwise, MU drives me crazy.
Smokey
P.S. Oscar, I've still yet to see a confirmation email from UNESCO.... _________________ "[...] whether the duck drinks hot chocolate or coffee is irrelevant." -- ovvldc and sardisson in the NeoWiki
I submitted Patch-11 to MacUpdate with patch.php and they seem to have posted it like that...who knows how long it will last, though.
BTW, I submitted on to Version Tracker about an hour ago.
I wonder if MacUpdate users are submitting updates to the binary. Some people might have the mistaken belief that the content is unimportant and they are doing everyone a favor by directly linking to the binary.
I submitted Patch-11 to MacUpdate with patch.php and they seem to have posted it like that...who knows how long it will last, though.
I still don't get it. Versiontracker does link to pages. It is called 'form' on their website. Try downloading a new version of Toast or Realplayer through them...
sardisson wrote:
P.S. Oscar, I've still yet to see a confirmation email from UNESCO....
I have no idea.. I just entered the form. But it said we would receive a mail after they validate the link. And I linked to www.neooffice.org, which should be real.
Best wishes,
Oscar _________________ "What do you think of Western Civilization?"
"I think it would be a good idea!"
- Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
I have no idea.. I just entered the form. But it said we would receive a mail after they validate the link. And I linked to www.neooffice.org, which should be real.
Since UNESCO presumably has many non-English speakers, would linking to http://www.planamesa.com/neojava/ be more helpful? http://www.neooffice.org/ doesn't have much content and it is only in English so it may be very confusing for people.
I wonder if MacUpdate users are submitting updates to the binary. Some people might have the mistaken belief that the content is unimportant and they are doing everyone a favor by directly linking to the binary.
I have no idea. But their submission form, even for developers, expressly states direct links to binaries only. When I first officially submitted Beta, I used the *.php links and then MacUpdate converted them into direct links to the binaries when they posted the update.
For that reason, I'm a bit surprised that the link is still pointing towards patch.php now.
Smokey _________________ "[...] whether the duck drinks hot chocolate or coffee is irrelevant." -- ovvldc and sardisson in the NeoWiki
I have no idea. But their submission form, even for developers, expressly states direct links to binaries only. When I first officially submitted Beta, I used the *.php links and then MacUpdate converted them into direct links to the binaries when they posted the update.
For that reason, I'm a bit surprised that the link is still pointing towards patch.php now.
Well all that we can do then is try to keep subverting their silly (and IMHO arbitrary) rule. When I release Neo/J 1.1 RC, I will monitor the binary downloads and if it looks like these sites are linking directly to the binaries, I can throw some redirects to the download page if the referrer is one of these sites.
Well all that we can do then is try to keep subverting their silly (and IMHO arbitrary) rule. When I release Neo/J 1.1 RC, I will monitor the binary downloads and if it looks like these sites are linking directly to the binaries, I can throw some redirects to the download page if the referrer is one of these sites.
Silly and arbitrary, indeed!
Smokey _________________ "[...] whether the duck drinks hot chocolate or coffee is irrelevant." -- ovvldc and sardisson in the NeoWiki
I will put links to the availible languages on plasema on the front page of Neo, that was simply an oversite on my part and not intentional. We can translate that page too, if we want, but i think they may all have to be static pages (until the server is nifty-a-fied).
Posted: Thu Mar 24, 2005 8:28 am Post subject: ChangeLog on Download Page
Might it be possible to post the same text that appears in the trinity.neooffice.org new snippets, on the patch download page? I am often in a "get work done" mode when I start NeoOffice, so I often don't download the patch because I don't see the need (or as is more often the case: benefit). And then I forget there's a patch available until the next one is released.
Great work on the patches! I love the frequent new features.
Joined: May 25, 2003 Posts: 4752 Location: Santa Barbara, CA
Posted: Thu Mar 24, 2005 5:46 pm Post subject:
Right now Patrick's been pretty much revising the main page stories on new patch releases. I'm not sure, though, if RSS aggregators will see the change in story content as a new article.
Alternately I could try to set up a separate RSS feed/module for donig the patch updates.
Posted: Fri Mar 25, 2005 6:53 am Post subject: Re: RSS Feed/Module
OpenStep,
An RSS feed might be cool. I guess what I was trying to request was including the list of changes on the patch download page, so that no one (myself included) will want to put off or pass up any of the patches. Patrick's snippets are enticing, but the update-checker links directly to the download page, not the news page.
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