First post from forum newbie...the first-time website 'sucks' for new users...

cookdav

Member
First post from forum newbie...the website 'sucks' for new users...

Ok, just joined the forums. This is first post for me.

I'm newbie in the forums, but I do use EasyBCD on both Vista and Win-7,
and it's very nice! Love it.

[Today, I tried installing it on one of my many older Win-XP systems,
and have problems. But more on that in another thread, later.]

Just have one 'bone to pick' about how the website works. I remember
seeing this before, but ignored it back then. Gotta mention it now. :brows:

Ok, for starters, maybe I should apologize for the word 'sucks' in the title?
But, let's be honest, it actually does. Well, it's VERY CONFUSING!

A newbie wanders over, probably expecting easy sailing, because he/she
heard good stuff about EasyBCD. So, wanting to download it, they click on
the obvious big arrow and immediately get SOLICITED, for other (crap).

As my father-in-law would say at that point 'this is not good'.

No kidding. I had to HUNT all over. looking for the correct thing to click
on to start a download. I was about ready to just get one-version-ago,
because THAT was findable (and then upgrade later).

FINALLY I did, after what seemed like 3-5 MINUTES, see that I could
skip down past the STUPID big arrow, and click on a tiny bullet that
started a download of the latest.

What's up with this? (WTF). :evil:

That is NO WAY to treat first-time users.

[Whew...there...I'm starting to feel SOMEWHAT better already.]

But, seriously, what's up with that? :lup:

[And another side-issue: Any way to make the forum auto-subscribe me to threads I've started/posted-into?
That's the default-behavior, most places that use VBulletin (which is 'cool'), so why not here???]
 
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Sorry but i dont understand your post at all. Cause i can clearly see the big Download button right on the official page for EasyBCD from NeoSmart:

http://neosmart.net/dl.php?id=1

Click it and the download starts. I dont see anything like you mention. Maybe if you got it directly from our site and not from sites like Softpedia or CNet or other sites that are a mirror then maybe you wouldnt be solicited for other things? Cause when you go to our main page at NeoSmart.net there is 2 things to click to get the download. 1 to get to the EasyBCD Page and another to get to the download.

So i clearly dont understand what your getting at. As that is NOT the behaviour of this site.

Subscriptions are on. Cause i see the notifications in my profile daily. We have it turned off to email people, which should be the case. As you shouldnt have email notification on for threads unless a user wants it. That is a breach of members trust that they wont get spammed by your site by emails for things they didnt specifically ask for.

So please clarify what you mean, cause i dont see anything of what your talking about. We have no control over what sites like Softpedia, CNet and others that Mirror our software do to get the download. We only have control over what our site does.
 
Hmm...it must be because you 'know' what (hidden to me) thing to click on. Maybe go
get 2 or 3 people who don't KNOW what they're looking for. Or, maybe it's just another
of these cases where some browsers don't trigger the 'auto-download' mechanism!?

When I do that link you mention, I then get a similar but slightly different looking page.
The only think I see there (which isn't REAL obvious, but it's blue-clickable) is the
name of the product in large capital-letters. So, I click that. Still no download starts.

[I'm using Google Chrome, if that matters.] Anyway, I still have to 'fight it'. And, I have
read elsewhere of others (for other products) having a similar issue, where you also
see extra stuff like:
'If your download doesn't start automatically, go click on <whatever else>'.
Clearly, your site needs something redundant like that,

or

Maybe a 'workaround' would be to ALSO place the most current one over on lower right,
where previous editions are, and just change that label from 'previous editions' to something
like 'Complete list of all editions' (contain both current and earlier).

Because THAT list is obvious and easy to find! :joy:

The other issue, of course, is just that (in my opinion) there are just way too many ads
and other stuff that IS clickable, that it is just far from obvious what thingy the REAL
downloader is hiding under.

But, never mind. (sigh) It's not JUST your site...many other have similar massive clutter,
especially in the 'Windows world'.

I guess I'm spoiled by a few of the open-source projects, and most all of the Linux distro
sites, that aren't so contaminated by clutter/ads/logos, etc etc. :smile:

--------

As to the 'auto-subscription' issue, also no biggie, I guess. But, I DID have to go explicitly click
on the 'thread tools' and then subscribe to my own 2 posts, before they'd show up when
I asked to see my subsciptions (subscribed threads).

Cheers...
 
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Maybe it has something to do with your extensions installed? Cause i still dont see where you have to fight to get the software. Even when i click on the Software List to the right of the screen, i get to the EasyBCD page where the next link i see is the download for the software.

Yet again 2 click, software downloaded. No redirects, no fighting, no nothing. I have now given 2 methods to get the software using out site that give you the software download in 2 clicks max.

So i still fail to see how it is your having such a tough time. I also have used Google Chrome, Opera, Safari, Firefox, IE, Flock among many others to test my methods, and it all works the same.

So i dont understand how a workaround is useful, as my methods seem to work just fine when following the most obvious links. Either A. Click the EasyBCD link under new software releases or B. Click on the software section to get EasyBCD's page.

The page shouldnt look any different. It is pretty straight forward.

2wd143l.jpg


That is the download button and it is the most current version. So i dont know where your trying to download from, cause it clearly isnt the main page for the software.

Yes there are ads. Cause they help pay for the server and the bandwidth for this free program. The bills still have to be paid for somehow right? You cant expect someone to just foot the bill for a dedicated server and all the bandwidth by themselves without placing a few ads on the site to try and help them pay for things. If you dont want to see ads, then use Ad Blockers. Other wise i would really like to see you try to pay for the cost of a dedicated server and bandwidth by yourself without at least trying to make a few bucks for ads.

Also dont go blaming it on "Windows World" either. I see just as much advertising on Linux and Apple based sites. Perfect example from your "open source" world is Distro Watch. I see more ads on that site than i have seen on any other site on the net. All is fair when it is time to pay for the hosting and server costs.
 
But when it specifically says 64 Bit Driver download or something else, how can you mistake that for EasyBCD? Clearly the name gives it away that is not the download your looking for. Not to mention that there is a little information icon that states it is Ads by Google.

Maybe i know to look, maybe i dont just click on the first thing i see, maybe i actually understand and look for something that says download "insert program name" or maybe it is cause i know an Ad when i see one. But no way i can mistake that green download arrow for the program in question.

Guess that is just me.
 
Hey Guys,

I'm not sure what big green button you're referring to - you have to realize that ads are randomly chosen and not vetted before being displayed.

We don't have an option to remove ads: NeoSmart Technologies doesn't sell any software and we have an entire organization to support - unlike most open source projects which only throw the source code on Source Forge and don't provide any support and don't run their own sites and servers.
 
No complaints from me either. Most sites employ some kind of advertising these days as a way of keeping things free or cheap.

It's a fact of life.
 
Use Maxthon as your browser.
I can't even see what you're all talking about, all unwanted dross is invisible to me.
 
btw, just a reminder to all our members (old and new): you can permanently disable ALL ads on the forums from the "User CP" link at the top of the screen, under profile settings:
The NeoSmart Forums

Just a small token of our appreciation for your taking the time to register and visit the forums!
 
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