I just had a bit of trouble getting libraries installed after downloading them via download manager. It was not possible to install the libraries after download completed, because I had not yet uploaded the licenses to my USB key. The eLicenser software required that I close all other Vienna applications before it would be willing to upload my licenses. So I closed the download manager, uploaded my licenses, and then opened the download manager again to begin installation. But instead of installing, the download manager got very confused and started "checking files". What's this? The files are certainly fine. So I paused it to look for an install option, but it was disabled. Then I resumed checking, and it suddenly changed to "downloading files". Now what's this? I had the files already, there could be nothing to download. So I closed the download manager, browsed forums a while, and finally found that some other software package contains the "head" of the installer. Now I have downloaded that package and started the installer from the user-visible executable, i.e. the head of it, and now it is installing my libraries. But are the downloaded .cab files still intact, after the download manager began a second round of downloading into the same locations? I really did not want it to do that, but it went ahead without asking me if downloading would be a helpful next step.
If anyone from Vienna software might take notice here, I would really recommend that the download manager take no actions without asking the user. It's ok for the download manager to lead the workflow by prompting the user along a sequence of steps, but it should take no action without asking. It truly does not know what else is going on in the user's machine, so it cannot make good decisions about what to do next. It can only suggest. Also, please include the entire install program, including its head, with the download manager. Users should be able to download a whole library, then close the download manager, restart the machine or anything else, and then come back and start installation, with no checking of files or restarting downloads or any other thing. Since each of these steps may take hours, it is not reasonable to initiate them as a compulsory manner of keeping the workflow simple. When steps take hours to complete, the workflow has gone far outside the domain of "simple"--no matter how it works--so simplicity must be abandoned and convenience must be pursued along some other avenue. Thanks for your consideration.
If anyone from Vienna software might take notice here, I would really recommend that the download manager take no actions without asking the user. It's ok for the download manager to lead the workflow by prompting the user along a sequence of steps, but it should take no action without asking. It truly does not know what else is going on in the user's machine, so it cannot make good decisions about what to do next. It can only suggest. Also, please include the entire install program, including its head, with the download manager. Users should be able to download a whole library, then close the download manager, restart the machine or anything else, and then come back and start installation, with no checking of files or restarting downloads or any other thing. Since each of these steps may take hours, it is not reasonable to initiate them as a compulsory manner of keeping the workflow simple. When steps take hours to complete, the workflow has gone far outside the domain of "simple"--no matter how it works--so simplicity must be abandoned and convenience must be pursued along some other avenue. Thanks for your consideration.