Re: [Gimp-developer] wtf with the download?

[C R <cajhne gmail com>]

> > First try:
> http://opendesignstudio.org/gimp/samples/gimp_windows_download_buttons.png
>
> Not really what I had in mind when you mentioned you planes, rather some
> small table that takes the place of the current download links, and a
> short, one paragraph explanation below each of them.

I hope I surprised in a good way then... :)
I realised that the list below it were not links to different installers,
but just a long list of compatibility.
There are only two links on this page, so a table was not really necessary.

Also, there would not be enough room in a small table cell to tell users
what they need to know before going out to discover the wild west that is
BitTorrent. I did not like that we are essentially tricking new users into
downloading something they were unfamiliar with (and is also a bit of a
lie, since clicking on the link decidedly does not "Download GIMP 2.8.14",
it downloads a torrent link), knowing that they would fail and either quit,
or go off on a dangerous quest to find a safe client.

Offer the safe option first, and for the more clever users who want to
help, give them the option to help. This is why I put the torrent link
second, but on the same level as the gimp.org download link. I could also
put a little "Faster!" graphic on the bittorent link box if you think it
actually is faster. We can list that as a benefit.


And can we use that Windows logo without any additional requirements?
> That's actually one of the reasons why there is not "click icon to get
> to the windows downloads" button on the downloads pages yet.
Well, if you don't already have a compatibility agreement with Microsoft,
you are breaking their rules by mentioning Windows in the first place.
I mean, they certainly seem to think GIMP works with Windows, and have no
issues using your logo:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows/compatibility/CompatCenter/ProductViewerWithDefaultFilters?TempOsid=Windows%208.1&Locale=en-gb&Architecture=X64&TextSearch=gimp&Type=Both&CurrentPage=0&TotalPages=1&ShowCriteria=0&SortCriteria=Relevance&Compatibility=Unknown&LastRequested=14

Maybe it's worth an ask to use theirs? ;)

If not, that's not exactly a deal-breaker. I can replace it with a drawing
of a window, or the letters "WIN", or a little white silhouette of Wilbur
if you like.. I think people will get the point. Did you like the rest of
the link, or the introductory article for BitTorrent for example? Are you
okay with the BitTorent link being second?

> 3. Some users will not mind using a torrent client if it helps the
> > community. We provide the second link for them, on the same level as the
> > first link, with an article immediately following to explain what it is,
> > why it helps, and how to do it safely. Also explaining the benefits of
> > torrenting in-general shows them, it's not just a one-time "bundleware"
> > thing: it's a valuable tool for everyone.
>
> So which Bittorrent client do we link to?

We could use icons for the most popular ones and give a choice. uTorrent
seems to be the most popular for Windows at the moment.
It's all just suggestions anyway, so I don't think listing the most popular
one is necessarily endorsement of one over another.


> > Note that I have removed all the "known to work with" information,
> because
> > the only known non-working versions are for Windows RT and Windows
> packages
> > so old it's a crime against the user to be using them in the first place.
> >
> > I did this based on these assumptions:
>
> I added this list because questions like "does it run on
> 98/ME/Vista/2000/NT4/... - and it did contain all known working versions
> because a plain "more recent than XP" is apparently not enough by itself.
I could put "Works with all known variations of Windows from Windows XP
(SP3) to Windows 8.1 with the exception of Windows RT"
I find it funny that people would take time to ask and not just try it
though...

> I have thus replaced the list with an additional sentence at the end of
> the
> > intro text on the page that says "Works with all known versions of
> Windows
> > except Windows RT".
>
> There still seem to be a considerable number of people running XP SP2.
> Not being able to run GIMP might be a wakeup call for some of them, yet
> this whole change is done to avoid a different wakeup call, so maybe you
> might want to reconsider...?

Reconsider what? The whole thing? I'm happy to reconsider anything, btw.
I want to give users a good experience. I want them to see the important
stuff first, and after hearing comments and taking on board the goals of
what we are trying to do, I think this is a much better solution that is
essentially a compromise, but a clear and honest one.

Thoughts?






> --
> Regards,
> Michael
> GPG: 96A8 B38A 728A 577D 724D 60E5 F855 53EC B36D 4CDD
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