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20030415: finding and downloading the IDV from my.unidata

>>>>> Keywords: 200304141344.h3EDiG7U028380 IDV download

Hi Tom-

Tom Whittaker wrote:
Thanks for making these changes. It looks a lot better -- I will pass it along to that techie and see what they say. 

I'll check in what I have and modify it later if there are
any other suggested changes.

re: naming conventions
In general, I agree with you. But I think you've handled this pretty well, in that at least from the the top-level there. I wonder, though, why you don't like directly to:
<http://my.unidata.ucar.edu/modules.php?name=Downloads&d_op=viewsdownload&sid=16>
instead of the 'all unidata software' download page -- where you have to tell people to look for "IDV(6)" (dare I ask about the "(6)"??) 

That's where it used to link to, but I changed it.  I'm worried that
the 16 will change in the future and wanted to change as little
docs if that happens.  I can change it back.

The 6 indicates there are 6 things to download under the IDV
section - 4 binaries, 1 source and 1 doc.  I don't have the 6
in the web page because that will surely change in the future.

re: Web Start
Well I don't think first-timers in our community should _ever_ have to install Java/Java3D themselves. That whole load of crap in 1.4.x of having to have Admin privleges on Win2K/XP is disgusting (not to mention that applets are _totally broken_ in 1.4.1_01 -- it's like they did almost no testing before shipping...it makes it really hard to develop stuff for the web when people are downloading such a dysfunctional plugin...oh, sorry...I digress...)... 

Theoretically, no Windows you don't have to install anything but
Web Start - the rest should be downloaded automagically.  But, your
points are well taken.
Anyway, if WebStart is needed, perhaps IA should still be the "first install" -- at least it would put the right Java environment on their computers so they could then use WS and IDV. Just a thought... 

I tried to indicate that IA is the easiest in the revamped page.
If they use IA, Web Start will not automatically find the JRE
installed with it, so I'm not sure you gain too much there.


Thanks again for these changes...


Thanks for reviewing them.

Don
*************************************************************<
Don Murray                               UCAR Unidata Program<
address@hidden                        P.O. Box 3000<
(303) 497-8628                              Boulder, CO 80307<
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