[tor-bugs] #3590 [Website]: torproject.org/download is very confusing

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#3590: torproject.org/download is very confusing
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 Reporter:  cypherpunks  |          Owner:  phobos  
     Type:  defect       |         Status:  accepted
 Priority:  normal       |      Milestone:          
Component:  Website      |        Version:          
 Keywords:               |         Parent:          
   Points:               |   Actualpoints:          
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Comment(by cypherpunks):

 velope quoting from irc:

 {{{
 armadev: velope: wonder if the download page vidalia download button wants
 a language pull-down like tbb has
 velope: the pull-downs are exactly the issue.
 velope: they rely on javascript to munge paths.
 armadev: ah
 velope: _if_ pulldowns can be used, they should also be able to be used
 for
 selecting platform, which vastly shortens and simplifies the pages.
 armadev: so no non-english for you unless your javascript is on and you
 know
 where to look
 velope: if they cannot be used, the concise buttons and pulldowns have to
 get
 verbose again, or non-english non-javascript users have to be shunted off
 to
 some other page, which seems terrible.
 rransom__: Put the long list of links to packages for each language in a
 <noscript> tag?
 velope: plausible. one complication is that it would be great to get rid
 of
 the repetitive platform entries, but that introduces a platform X language
 multiplier.
 rransom__: The packages could be listed in a table, with platforms as
 columns and languages as rows.
 armadev: can the download link be a form/cgi that 302's you to the real
 download link, with a pulldown bar nearby to pick a language that gets
 POSTed
 to the form?
 rransom__: weasel won't like CGI.
 armadev: well, a form
 rransom__: Something has to turn the values in the form into a URL. That
 can
 either be JavaScript on the client or some program on the server.
 rransom__: Relying on a program running on the web servers makes mirroring
 www.tpo more difficult and much more dangerous.
 velope: look, if you relax either or both of the requirements that cgi
 can't
 be used and javascript can be disabled, solutions become easy.
 velope: but with those requirements upheld, it looks like we can't
 implement
 the new nice graphics, at least no without having some large backup table
 like rransom__ mentions.
 armadev: velope: i am inclined to think that needing javascript to pick a
 different language is ok. i fear that a table would be horrible to use and
 look at.
 velope: armadev: ok, that would be a major break in the logjam. now how
 about
 javascript for selecting platform? having a platform pulldown would
 greatly
 simplify the full download page. or perhaps a compromise--don't require
 javascript on the tbb download-easy page (for new users), where the
 expansion
 is minor.
 armadev: velope: what would it mean if you don't have javascript? you
 can't
 see some platforms?
 velope: well that's what we're mulling over. on the tbb download-easy
 page,
 with no javascript it's reasonable to display three buttons as shown in
 jeremy's draft.
 velope: but for the full download page, jeremy agrees that it doesn't make
 sense to section by platform, which lengthens the page (experimental
 packages
 haven't even been accommodated yet).
 velope: so the full download page could be greatly condensed by using
 pulldowns
 for both language and platform, but, if no javascript, that means either
 no
 platform choice or substituting a table of links.
 velope: --a table of links providing the platform X language matrix.
 velope: (i'm still wondering if the javascript-just-for-the-sake-of-
 pulldowns
 challenge could be worked around with some CSS trick, but i don't know
 yet.)
 rransom__: You *can* do pulldowns with CSS only, but it's a PITA, and you
 can
 only put a list of links on each pulldown.
 rransom__: I think the big ugly table would be less bad.
 velope: perhaps acceptable if it only appears as a no-javascript backup
 armadev: i'd be more fine with that
 }}}

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Ticket URL: <https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/ticket/3590#comment:28>
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