I'm trying to refer someone to MacPorts as a very easy way to install some Unix software (Subversion in this case). When I installed DarwinPorts 1.0, it was very easy: I downloaded a disk image, ran the enclosed installer package, and that was it. But today when I click the Downloads link on www.macports.org I get sent to the downloads directory in the Subversion repository which offers no explanation of what I should download, and the only choices for 1.3.2 (which is still named DarwinPorts, which is confusing for newcomers who don't know that name, and which is also not at the end of the list as expected but one before the end because DarwinPorts 1.3.1 was named incorrectly with a lowercase p) seem to be DarwinPorts-1.3.2.tar.bz2 and DarwinPorts-1.3.2-archive.tar.bz2. Those names give me no information by which I could divine the difference between the two or which one I should be using, so I downloaded both to see what they were, and neither of them were a disk image. I backtracked to the 1.3.1 directory where I did find disk images. So where are the 1.3.2 disk images? Should I recommend someone download the 1.3.1 disk image and then selfupdate? Is the 1.3.1 disk image universal or only PowerPC? The name doesn't indicate. So the to-dos I see are: - Rename the Darwinports-1.3.1 directory to DarwinPorts-1.3.1 for consistency - Create universal DarwinPorts 1.3.2 disk images - On the Downloads page, link directly to these disk images - On the Downloads page, use the Universal Binary logo - Release a version of the software that is actually called MacPorts (obviously that's being worked on) I realize we're in a transition period here, but maybe some of those can be done quickly anyway? How difficult is it to create the disk image of 1.3.2, for example?
No comments at all regarding any of the below? :-) On Sep 11, 2006, at 22:47, Ryan Schmidt wrote:
I'm trying to refer someone to MacPorts as a very easy way to install some Unix software (Subversion in this case). When I installed DarwinPorts 1.0, it was very easy: I downloaded a disk image, ran the enclosed installer package, and that was it.
But today when I click the Downloads link on www.macports.org I get sent to the downloads directory in the Subversion repository which offers no explanation of what I should download, and the only choices for 1.3.2 (which is still named DarwinPorts, which is confusing for newcomers who don't know that name, and which is also not at the end of the list as expected but one before the end because DarwinPorts 1.3.1 was named incorrectly with a lowercase p) seem to be DarwinPorts-1.3.2.tar.bz2 and DarwinPorts-1.3.2- archive.tar.bz2. Those names give me no information by which I could divine the difference between the two or which one I should be using, so I downloaded both to see what they were, and neither of them were a disk image. I backtracked to the 1.3.1 directory where I did find disk images. So where are the 1.3.2 disk images? Should I recommend someone download the 1.3.1 disk image and then selfupdate? Is the 1.3.1 disk image universal or only PowerPC? The name doesn't indicate.
So the to-dos I see are:
- Rename the Darwinports-1.3.1 directory to DarwinPorts-1.3.1 for consistency - Create universal DarwinPorts 1.3.2 disk images - On the Downloads page, link directly to these disk images - On the Downloads page, use the Universal Binary logo - Release a version of the software that is actually called MacPorts (obviously that's being worked on)
I realize we're in a transition period here, but maybe some of those can be done quickly anyway? How difficult is it to create the disk image of 1.3.2, for example?
I can't make it happen, but FWIW I am in complete agreement. It is confusing as it is. One of those options should be done a soon as possible. Mark Ryan Schmidt <macports-2006c@ryandesign.com> writes:
No comments at all regarding any of the below? :-)
On Sep 11, 2006, at 22:47, Ryan Schmidt wrote:
I'm trying to refer someone to MacPorts as a very easy way to install some Unix software (Subversion in this case). When I installed DarwinPorts 1.0, it was very easy: I downloaded a disk image, ran the enclosed installer package, and that was it.
But today when I click the Downloads link on www.macports.org I get sent to the downloads directory in the Subversion repository which offers no explanation of what I should download, and the only choices for 1.3.2 (which is still named DarwinPorts, which is confusing for newcomers who don't know that name, and which is also not at the end of the list as expected but one before the end because DarwinPorts 1.3.1 was named incorrectly with a lowercase p) seem to be DarwinPorts-1.3.2.tar.bz2 and DarwinPorts-1.3.2- archive.tar.bz2. Those names give me no information by which I could divine the difference between the two or which one I should be using, so I downloaded both to see what they were, and neither of them were a disk image. I backtracked to the 1.3.1 directory where I did find disk images. So where are the 1.3.2 disk images? Should I recommend someone download the 1.3.1 disk image and then selfupdate? Is the 1.3.1 disk image universal or only PowerPC? The name doesn't indicate.
So the to-dos I see are:
- Rename the Darwinports-1.3.1 directory to DarwinPorts-1.3.1 for consistency - Create universal DarwinPorts 1.3.2 disk images - On the Downloads page, link directly to these disk images - On the Downloads page, use the Universal Binary logo - Release a version of the software that is actually called MacPorts (obviously that's being worked on)
I realize we're in a transition period here, but maybe some of those can be done quickly anyway? How difficult is it to create the disk image of 1.3.2, for example?
participants (2)
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Mark Duling
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Ryan Schmidt