Why not release CMSMS as a zip file? Topic is solved

[MarkFresh]

Hi

Just a thought but the download page for CMSMS is not the simplest and puts potential users off trying it and becoming the appreciative users that they should be. I would have thought that a large number of people would simply want to download a zip file, unzip it, then FTP it up to the server. Currently they have to work out if they want a .dat file or .tar.gz or a base or a full release? What are they?

Not everyone has shell access to extract a tar.gz file on the server, or likes having to find a programme to open a .tar.gz file. Also what the difference with a base and full release? Which one is needed?

I think that having a confusing download page will put people off, the above factors are minor irritants but having those irritations before actually trialling new software will put people off forever. I would like more people to use CMSMS as it's brilliant. I would suggest:
a) Have some simple instructions at the top or a link to "which file for me?"
b) Include a zip file

Keep up the good work

Mark

ps I know the answers to the above, I've just been sat with someone who asked those questions.

[RonnyK]

One of the reasons for only tar.gz, is that a unzipper like WinZip/7zip also handle tar.gz, so no need for a specific zip-extension.

Concerning base/full, that has been discussed before and there is being looked into in terms of naming the release..

Ronny

[MarkFresh]

Thanks Ronny

By default Windows can't extract those files, its inbuilt "file decompressor" can only do .zip files.

I use WinRar and that extracts a file once, then you have to locate that file and extract it again which is a bit of a pain, especially to a newbie. I know it's a nice-to-have option but I thought I should flag it up.

[Milhaus]

By default Windows can't extract those files, its inbuilt "file decompressor" can only do .zip files.

That's true, but I think, that in every web designer is a bit of geek, so i doubt that anyone, who is installing CMSMS is actually using this default method.

[Wishbone]

The file manager on almost every host I use will extract most forms of compression. Very handy and fast. I'm sure that most people who can FTP, configure a database and configure a CMS can figure out how to un-tar and un-gzip a file. Maybe it's a test.. A form of CAPTCHA to weed out those who would cause the most support load.

[luminous]

You could be right, it could be some sort of test

Hopefully in the future we will get loads of noobs using the software, when the time is right.  It would be awesome if CMSMS takes over from the likes of Drupal etc.  This should be right up there with them, attracting lots of attention, and investment

[SMF]

I would have thought that a large number of people would simply want to download a zip file, unzip it, then FTP it up to the server. Currently they have to work out if they want a .dat file or .tar.gz or a base or a full release? What are they?

Gzip is a very good compression format - moving a single, small, file to your host is a lot quicker, and less prone to data corruption, than moving a multitude of files. This is the reason why cPanel, and other hosting management solutions, use it for site backups.

One of the advantages of tar archives over zip is that they preserve file permissions.
The .gz just indicates the compression format, bzip is another common one.

You are correct that an explanation would be useful - perhaps you could write one? Please don't take that the wrong way, but your perspective gives you an advantage when writing documentation for those with a similar perspective.

As you noted, WinRAR will handle .tar.gz files fine. 7Zip is another, free, option. With WinRAR (under Windoof) when it's installed it adds an option to the right-click choices in your file browser - choose "Extract here" and, it will. General practice for tarred archives is to place the files in a directory - so extracting to the same place as the original .tar.gz will not result in files being scattered everywhere.
Aside from the ability to preserve file permissions it's worth considering that the majority of web servers run *nix (even Xamp is just *nix running in Windoof).

While it may not be the reason for packaging CMSmadesimple in a .tar.gz format, the choice of a Free, Open, format for archiving is consistent with the license of CMSmadesimple, and the most common environment it is deployed in.