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Bug 259732

Summary:	Install instructions should be prominent
Product:	Community	Reporter:	Walter Harley <eclipse>
Component:	Website	Assignee:	phoenix.ui <phoenix.ui-inbox>
Status:	RESOLVED FIXED	QA Contact:
Severity:	normal
Priority:	P3
Version:	unspecified
Target Milestone:	---
Hardware:	PC
OS:	Windows XP
Whiteboard:

Description Walter Harley

2008-12-29 00:24:18 EST

The "how to install Eclipse" instructions should be more prominent, on the path to the download.

If I am a new user, I start at eclipse.org. Nothing on the main page says how to install, but I see a Downloads link, so I click that. It takes me to the Downloads page, which shows various packages. In "Related Links" there is an "installing Eclipse" link, but this is pretty subtle (at the same level as "becoming a mirror site").

If I then click on, say, Eclipse Classic, I am taken to the download page for that package. Nowhere on this page are there any installation instructions - not even in Related Links.

What I would like to see is, on the main downloads page (the one the front-page "downloads" link goes to), a prominent link to "Installing Eclipse". This could be at the start of the "You will need a Java runtime environment (JRE) to use Eclipse" text, but I'd rather see that text *replaced* with text pointing to a "how to install" link. The JRE requirements can then be explained in the installation instructions.

Second, I'd like to see the same "Installing Eclipse" link on each of the individual package download pages.

The reason this is important is that there are significant pitfalls in the installation process - you must use the proper unzip tool, you must preserve folder names, you must unzip into a short enough path to avoid path length problems. When beginners stumble into these pitfalls, if we're *lucky* they post to eclipse.newcomers, thereby wasting my, Ed Merks', and Eric Rizzo's time :-)

Thanks!

Comment 1 Denis Roy

2009-01-09 10:49:06 EST

(In reply to comment #0)
> The "how to install Eclipse" instructions should be more prominent, on the path
> to the download.

Where is the link to these instructions?  If you provide a link, I will certainly add it.

Comment 2 Walter Harley

2009-01-09 12:29:34 EST

(In reply to comment #1)
> Where is the link to these instructions?  If you provide a link, I will
> certainly add it.

That the webmaster himself can't find the link is a sure sign that it is not prominent enough :-)

The wiki page linked from the "Related Links" on the download page is http://wiki.eclipse.org/FAQ_Where_do_I_get_and_install_Eclipse%3F .  I propose we use this link.  

It looks like the wiki page already mentions the JRE requirement, so that's good.  It could stand to be enhanced a bit, but it's a wiki, so we can all help with that.

Comment 3 Denis Roy

2009-01-15 16:40:19 EST

> a prominent link to "Installing Eclipse".  This
> could be at the start of the "You will need a Java runtime environment (JRE) 
> to use Eclipse" text, but I'd rather see that text *replaced* with text
> pointing to a "how to install" link.  The JRE requirements can then be
> explained in the installation instructions.

I think that would be bad; I think most people (even newcomers) will simply ignore How To Install instructions, assuming there's an easy-to-use installer, whereas the 'You Need A JRE' notice may get more attention.


> Second, I'd like to see the same "Installing Eclipse" link on each of the
> individual package download pages.

Please, no.  That would add major clutter to the page.  FWIW, as a user of billions of FOSS projects, I consider myself a typical use case: I don't read, I just download and click and hope.  If it explodes, I return to the site and try to find docs.  Putting eight How To Install links is not going to help.

I do concede that the Related Links box was getting quite loaded, so I created another box to separate the installation-specific directives.  Now it would be nice if that box was at the top of the righthand column, but it was decided that the EclipseCon and Members promotions were more important.

Comment 4 Denis Roy

2009-01-19 13:36:20 EST

I'll close this as fixed; feel free to reopen if you can think of another way to do this.