Finding MPIDE Releases & Builds: Can't we make it Easier?

Created Fri, 03 Jan 2014 04:29:05 +0000 by bperrybap

bperrybap

Fri, 03 Jan 2014 04:29:05 +0000

Maybe it is just me but it seems way too difficult to find the latest MPIDE builds. Perhaps I'm not seeing the method from the madness.

There is a separate sub forum Software Builds and Announcements here: http://chipkit.net/forum/viewforum.php?f=20 that I would have thought would make it easy to find current releases but I don't find it very helpful. There are many topics and some stickies but they are not the latest builds nor could I even find a link that would take me to a place that had the latest build or a collection of builds to choose from. All the topics and titles are for much older releases and in reading many of the threads I was unable to locate the current builds.

But if I wander around, and look through threads, or on various web pages I can eventually find newer builds than what I seem to be able to find on the Software Builds and Announcements subforum.

For example: If I go here: http://chipkit.net/ Then click on [Getting Started]->[Install chipKIT Software] which takes you to here: http://chipkit.net/started/install-chipkit-software/ The four colored "Download" box links are pointing to different versions of the software. (Assuming the date represents a version) Maybe the issue on that page is that all the colorized "Download" box links for all the OSes except the 32bit linux release (green box) are pointing to what appears to be the most recent non test release 20130715 vs the linux release pointing to the 20130817-test release.

But from that page if I take the link to here: http://chipkit.s3.amazonaws.com/index.html I can find more releases, including releases that are newer than the colored links on the [Install chipKIT Software] page.

And if it click on the red "Linux Installation Instructions" link just below the color download boxes which takes me here: http://chipkit.net/started/install-chipkit-software/install-mpide-linux/ down near the bottom of the page you will see:

The download buttons on the top of this page links directly to the latest versions of build releases and downloads it on your computer

But there is/are no button(s) on the top of this page. This page talks about installing java stuff first and then a ways down on the page is the green linux32 download box link. So when you scroll back up to the top, you can miss the download box (if you don't know what you are looking for) since it won't be on your screen when the browser window is at the top of the page. Also the linux installations Instructions doesn't have the dwnload colored box link for the 64 bit OS.

On this page: http://chipkit.net/tag/breadboard/ There are links to download the MPIDE s/w but the links are pointing to test releases that are older than the latest non test build. But at least that page does provide a link to find more recent builds.

So here are my suggestions.

• create a sticky in Software Builds and Announcements that at a minimum provides a link to http://chipkit.s3.amazonaws.com/index.html that explains that the latest release and test builds can be found here. It would be nice to indicate the latest release and test build but it might be a good thing to not provide that so that the sticky never has to updated unless the download site/location changes.

• update the chipkit bb page to reflect the newer build and perhaps add a link to point to the sticky above.

• update the 3 "xxxx Installation" pages by making these two sentences:

The download buttons on the top of this page links directly to the latest versions of build releases and downloads it on your computer. If you would like to view the previous build and test releases, please go to

into separate bullets and changing the first one to provide the box or link rather than referencing the "buttons on the top of this page".

Just my simply minded suggestions to try to make things easier for people trying to locate MPIDE builds.

--- bill

majenko

Fri, 03 Jan 2014 11:02:18 +0000

We have had some discussion on this already via other channels. I even went so far as to knock up a small PHP script that takes the XML bucket listing of the s3 account and getting the latest versions for each platform from it that could be put online somewhere.

That's as far as it seemed to go though.

The main problem is that there are official releases, which are old, and test builds, which are new, but not officially released. So web pages often point to the official release ones, unless there is a major flaw in one, in which case it may point to a test version that fixes the problem. We have no proper release schedule though. Yes, we have regular test releases, but they are very much on an ad-hoc basis as and when Rick has time to do them.

I don't know what facilities s3 provides, but it would be nice if an automatic symbolic link could be created from, say, mpide-0023-current-windows.zip and mpide-0023-release-windows.zip to the latest test and release files respectively - then all web links could point direct to those and they would always be bang up to date.

As for the linux 64 version - there isn't really any such thing right now. There is only a 32-bit version of the compiler available right now (though Jason is going to get it compiled for 64-bit sometime I understand), so a 64-bit linux version of MPIDE is just the 32-bit version running under 64-bit.

Alternatively you just don't use MPIDE and instead upgrade to UECIDE ;)

Jacob Christ

Fri, 03 Jan 2014 17:40:01 +0000

I agree, its been quite messy since github removed the ability for users to post built code to a download section.

Jacob

bperrybap

Fri, 03 Jan 2014 18:23:57 +0000

But it should be easy to at least put a sticky in the Software Builds and Announcements subforum that has a link to where all the builds can be found. It would be a one time thing and wouldn't ever get out of date until the location changed.

One of the reasons that I had such a difficulty finding it was that I went straight to the forum rather than look at the chipkit web pages. Silly me I thought the information would be easier to find in the forum vs the more end user friendly web pages.

--- bill

majenko

Fri, 03 Jan 2014 19:02:00 +0000

Absolutely. I have done just that. I can't seem to make it sticky, but I have asked others if they can, so it may hopefully get stuck.

http://chipkit.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=2728

I just hope it stays up to date ;)

bperrybap

Fri, 03 Jan 2014 20:22:12 +0000

It doesn't mention where the build archive is. Could you update it to include a link to the server that has all the releases.

i.e.

Something like:

You can find the very latest builds along with older releases here: [url]http://chipkit.s3.amazonaws.com/index.html[/url]

That way if it is every out of date, people can find whatever they are looking for. Heck, I'd be happy with a sticky that only had the archive link. That way it would never get out of date or need updating.

--- bill