The PSPP web site [was: Re: PSPP on Mac OS X 10.8.3]

[John Darrington]

On Wed, Apr 17, 2013 at 10:35:12PM +0000, Crichton, Ronald wrote:
     The web site could be clearer.  I installed it on my Windows XP without 
trouble, but before I did so, I was very confused by the web site.
     
     The web site shows "Get PSPP" - nothing could be simpler. But when you 
click on this link you are presented with a range of options that is very 
confusing.  In my case, I was looking for a Windows installation.  There is a 
reference to "Windows (Using MinGW)" - I have no idea what this is and whether 
it was what I needed to install it.  Further down the page under the heading 
"MS Windows" there were more links that might have been relevant to me.  But 
what is each of them for - I have no idea and the site give no information.  An 
explanation for each is required.  The term "Mingw-based version" means nothing 
to me.  Similarly, "nl" "fr" "de" "es" and "pt_BR" are incomprehensible - I 
might guess Netherlands, France, Spanish (no idea).  You don't like to guess 
this type of thing.  The phrase "Another Mingw-based version" is of no help as 
I didn't know what the first "Mingw" was meant to be in the first place.
     
     I was thoroughly confused but anxious to try it, and for no better reason 
than that "Mingw-based version" was the first link in the list, I selected 
that, and hoped for the best.  I downloaded the latest version as indicated, 
and installation was smooth.
     
     Please update the website.

It would be useful if you could make some suggestions as to how it could be 
made clearer.
Several people have in the past suggested changes, but unfortunately what it 
inevitably
boiled down to was: 
 "Delete all the information in which _I_ have no interest, and keep the rest."

Like the page says, we do not distribute pre-compiled binaries.  It would be 
impractical 
to do so -  there dozens of computer architectures in the world today, and then 
there
are operating systems and their variants (Windows XP, Windows7 Windows8 etc).
We would have to maintain hundreds - we don't have the resources for that.  
(Some
GNU projects manage it - http://lilypond.org - Kudos to them!)

As a courtesy, we do provide links to third party sites which offer such things.
Some of those sites have documentation, others do not.  If those sites need to 
be 
improved complain to them! On the other hand, if one of the links is broken or 
the site it links to is so terrible that it is useless, then let us know and we 
will remove the link.

I'd welcome serious offers from anyone who wants to takeover maintaining the 
web-site.
Again we have had such offers in the past, but the volunteers seem to get bored 
after
a while and either quit or just disappear.

J'


     
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