MySQL Bugs: #4868: instructions and links to download source distribution not working

Bug #4868	instructions and links to download source distribution not working
Submitted:	3 Aug 2004 12:08	Modified:	4 Aug 2004 19:50
Reporter:	Sergio Fonseca	Email Updates:
Status:	Closed	Impact on me:	None
Category:	MySQL Websites	Severity:	S2 (Serious)
Version:		OS:	Windows (Windows 2000)
Assigned to:	Jim Winstead	CPU Architecture:	Any

Description:
I have tried to download the "source distribution" for release 4.0.20a-nt but was not able to.  Is there a reason why a simple link or button stating "To download source distribution, click here"?  The navigation on the web site is very difficult.
I was able only to obtain the current recommended release in binary only.

For example, 
(1) if you go the following web page,
http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/
there is no link clearly stating "Get Source Distribution here"
If you then click on the "MySQL 4.0 link", you will be moving towards a binary distribution only.

If you click on "Snapshots", you get to a page warning that these are development release only, and... does that mean the source accompanying the binary for 4.0.20a-nt is not available?  Very hard to get to and not clearly spelled out.

If you do go down the "MySQL 4.0" link, getting to
http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/mysql/4.0.html
then there is a "Source Downloads" link.
The only problem is that if you click on this link,
"""""It doesn't work! """""""

Can someone there at MYSQL AB give me a simple direction or page to download the source distribution?

 and then click on 
"Source Download"

How to repeat:
See Description.

Suggested fix:
See Description.

It was easy to me to go to the source download:

From the Main page -> Products -> Download -> 

http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/mysql/4.0.html

then in the bottom I had:

download - pick a mirror:

http://dev.mysql.com/get/Downloads/MySQL-4.0/mysql-4.0.20a-win-src.zip/from/http://www.lin...

http://dev.mysql.com/get/Downloads/MySQL-4.0/mysql-4.0.20a-win-src.zip/from/pick

Thanks for your response, Miguel.
But I tried your steps and they did not get me to those links posted.
There must be some steps missing. This should be much simpler. Not your fault, but navigation design should be reworked.

-------------------------------------------------------------------
I'll explain what I mean.

Your instructions were:
"From the Main page -> Products -> Download -> "

http://www.mysql.com/
http://www.mysql.com/products/
http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/

So far so good. All those links exist and work.

But THEN you say:
"then in the bottom I had: download - pick a mirror:"

There is no link such as Download - Pick a Mirror on THIS PAGE.
I guess you meant that before this step, you select:
from under MySQL database server & standard clients:

the link "MySQL 4.0" -- Generally Available (GA) release (recommended) .
Is that correct?

I will assume that is what was meant.
http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/mysql/4.0.html

Now I see a page full of mirror sites which do have links to:
Download - Pick a Mirror.
[We need to know to select link "MySQL 4.0"]

Now the question is: Which of the choices did you make that got you that zipped SOURCE code file? OK. I will assume that any link under the Windows downloads would work.

Let's say that under 'Windows downloads (platform notes)', I select:
Download - Pick a Mirror. Now I get to:

http://dev.mysql.com/get/Downloads/MySQL-4.0/mysql-4.0.20d-win.zip/from/pick
http://dev.mysql.com/get/Downloads/MySQL-4.0/mysql-4.0.20d-win.zip/from/pick#mirrors

If 'Download' is selected, that automatically tries to download the binary distribution. No good for me. I want to look at the source.

If 'Pick a Mirror' is selected, then after skipping the name, address stuff,
by clicking on 'No thanks, just take me to the downloads!'
then we get a list of mirrors and countries where the download would be at.

Let's say I select a U.S. location by clicking on HTTP link. Now the file download process starts up trying to download "mysql-4.0.20d-win.zip".

Nowhere did it give me the choice to download any Source for 4.0.20d.

Questions: How did you get to (navigate) the links which you obviously found which refer to the source distribution? That is the crux of the problem!!!
Some steps are missing. Try your instructions yourself and see that there is no way "by navigating" to get to the links listed below which you mentioned in your comment.

http://dev.mysql.com/get/Downloads/MySQL-4.0/mysql-4.0.20a-win-src.zip/from/http://www.lin...

http://dev.mysql.com/get/Downloads/MySQL-4.0/mysql-4.0.20a-win-src.zip/from/pick

How are these links found? By searching? Clicking on 12 to 15 other links to find them? Things should be alot easier.
Example:
You want the binary dist ---> Click here.
You want the source dist ---> Click here.

Thanks anyway.

http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/mysql/4.0.html

then in the bottom I had:

download - pick a mirror:

Source download

Attachment: download1.JPG (image/jpeg, text), 108.12 KiB.

Pick up the file

Attachment: download2.jpg (image/jpeg, text), 127.06 KiB.

Hi Sergio,

Then I show you with pictures (please see them using the Files tab).

I did: Main Page -> Products
Products at right side -> Downloads
Download at left side -> MySQL 4.0
Then you can see the picture download1.jpg the top and the bottom of this
page.

I clicked pick a mirror then you can see in the download2.jpg downloading
the source file.

Notice that the first mirror in my case is a Brazilian ones, because I am
in Brazil.

Hope this help you.

Thanks again, Miguel.

Or, should I say, "como vai". SP? RJ? Brazil's very nice. Been there several times. Am in NYC.

But on the download problem:
1- Your download files do not get included. Nothing attached. Could not see anything about what you were doing.
Why don't you just include the links from the point where you can Pick a Mirror site, which I have done a couple times. You will see that you can only access links which download "binaries". That is it. Unless, of course, it is some other unknown hard-to-get-at "undocumented feature" page. As a developer with over 16 years experience, let me recommend you to look at how Sun does it at java.sun.com. It is very easy to download packages. You just select what you want and then click on it. I am sorry to say ("Desculpa"), but I do not see how one can "easily" find the source code distribution download link. Click on the following 'Source Downloads' link on the page below to see what I am talking about:
http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/mysql/4.0.html
As they say here in NYC: "It don't work."

With all the other issues which come up in development, this should NOT be one of them. If you send me your email, I can continue this discussion off the bug report list with you.

2- I would like to try and stay open-source, but not if it is going to stop me from connecting to a backend database. Sorry to say that about MySQL. I really wanted to give it a try on these 2 dev. projects that I am prototyping. I have read 2 entire books on MySQL already (The Complete Reference and MySQL:...your visual blueprint...). Things work very quickly and nicely from the supplied command-line MySQL client. But.......(the real test).... :(

I may have to use another database (Oracle Lite, Access,etc). Regards,

Serg

Serg, does the following link not work for you either?

http://dev.mysql.com/get/Downloads/MySQL-4.0/mysql-4.0.20a-win-src.zip/from/pick#mirrors

The source downloads are all located in the very bottom of the download 
page. We used to have it the other way around, but the growing popularity
of MySQL along the not-so-techie users led to a lot of people downloading
the source distribution and then going "Now what? There's nothing I can run
in here".

Also, actually thanks - I discovered a real bug among your information - the
"Source downloads" link on the right hand side indeed does not work. It links
to the #Source anchor on the same page, but the anchor at the source 
downloads on the bottom of the page is missing. We'll fix this ASAP.

The anchors for the various download sections (including Source) have been fixed.