[GRASS-user] Web site: download suggestion added based on operating system

[Hamish]

Markus wrote:
> I got some feedback (via phone) that our Web page is too
> complicated. I tend to agree...

any specific complaints, of just the general sense of being overwhelmed?
got lost in the web of crusty old .html pages?


> As a first step, I have implemented operating system
> detection (a simple PHP function) which suggests the
> right download in a more prominent way:
> http://grass.osgeo.org/download/
> 
> ... same thing as Firefox, Openoffice and the others do.
> The previous, complete download page is of course still there.

it is a neat trick and you've done a nice job. as a first reaction
though those autodetect things are a real pet hate of mine. But I'm
willing to accept that might just be my bias and I'll give it a fair
chance. You have done it with a clear "Other" button, a lack of which
is my main complaint with SourceForge, modern GNOME apps, etc..

Linking to the linux weekly snapshot page will be the best choice long
term, but for now... well, maybe send linux users to the complicated
page, they should be used to it.

"Other operating systems" probably needs to be expanded to include
"and versions".

Personally I find the classic download table to be quite usable and
clear. We could probably drop the manuals from the table and shorten
the Mandriva and OpenSuSE bullet points to just the distro name, and
move the linux weekly snapshot into the linux binary section as just
"* weekly snapshot".


> I think that especially the main page needs to become quite
> more simple.
> Suggestions welcome.

* the three images along the top need to be cycled, they have been
the same for a long time and are starting to get a bit stale. I tried
to add a flash of color to the bland green with the yellow desktop
thumbnail, but with only partial success.

* Mirror sites can probably be dropped from the main page and just live
on the downloads page.

* Translating ... mmmm, maybe

stalled GDP migration-
* Newsletter can probably be sent to the wiki somewhere.
* GRASS in the Press might be removed if it isn't maintained
* Get involved! can probably be combined with Community, Applications,
and Development from the top bar somehow.

* Intro and About GRASS cover a bit of the same territory.


* GDP
I'll be happy to see the rest of the GDP help pages be finally migrated
to the wiki, with some link back to the old GRASS 5 content (which I
think we should archive but keep accessible & searchable somehow if
folks want to refer to it). Along those lines I wonder if we reenable
grass5 docs in robots.txt somehow to keep them secondary but still
exist as a resource. Sounds like a job for the new documentation manager :)


* new Download page
  - "Citing GRASS" needs to move somewhere else. But where?
  - the down arrow graphic should link to link to something


3c,
Hamish