Re: pspp-1.6.0 released, 1.6 windows

[ft gmail]

Hi everyone,

I think this is all about a difference between the Linux people and the 
others who don't understand Linux terminology.


A simple solution would be to have a link at the top of the GNU PSPP 
page which says :


For Windows users of PSPP go here (link for PSPP for Windows dl page)

For Linux users of PSPP  (continue on page further down)


Regards

ftr


On 15/06/2022 23:17, someone wrote:

John,

Thanks for your comments.

As a, i guess, not expert user, I would look at the main page
https://www.gnu.org/software/pspp/

and I see the top line of the PSPP part has these options

  * PSPP Home 
  * Download 
  * Quick Tour 
  * FAQ 
  * Doc 
 *


I would assume that the "Download" part is where I go to download the 
"official" version. But that isn't right?



"Right at the top of this page, there is a link which tells you the 
various ways to get GNU software (including PSPP)."

I'm not really clear on this.  Where are you pointing?


"Also, note, the sentence "We do not distribute precompiled binaries 
for PSPP". Any binaries that you download (from anywhere) are not 
"official" in any sense of the word."
Well, on the 'get' page, this sentence ("We do not distribute ..." is 
right below "GNU Linux".
Again, I'm not an expert user, so I kind of assumed that didn't apply 
to Windows. I thought Linux was another OS, so this just applied to 
GNU Linux.


And I guess I'm kind of confused. At the lower part of the main page 
is the section "Downloading PSPP" which says
"As with most GNU software, PSPP can be found on the main GNU ftp 
server: http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/pspp/  ..."
I don't understand what "We do not distribute precompiled binaries 
..."  What is a precompiled binary, and what is being distributed on 
the GNU ftp server? I guess that's an -un-compiled binary?



Could I make some suggestions?

On the get page, move this to just above "Binaries"
"We do not distribute precompiled binaries of PSPP. Computers come 
with so many different archtectures, kernels, operating systems that 
it would not be feasible for us to do so. "

and add something like,
"However, a number of people have kindly compiled PSPP into various 
operating systems. Their compiled versions are described below.


and add the same two sentences to the main page, in the download PSPP 
section, instead of "There are some additional ways you can download 
or otherwise obtain PSPP."



Thanks

Gene


-Original Message-
From: John Darrington 
To: someone 
Cc: tuna.is.good.for@gmail.com ; 
public@gmail.com ; pspp-users@gnu.org 


Sent: Wed, Jun 15, 2022 12:50 am
Subject: Re: pspp-1.6.0 released, 1.6 windows

The "official" download page is and always has been 
https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/pspp


The "get PSPP" page https://www.gnu.org/software/pspp/get.html which 
you mentioned provides unofficial hints about other possible download 
possibilities.


Right at the top of this page, there is a link which tells you the 
various ways to get GNU software (including PSPP).


Also, note, the sentence "We do not distribute precompiled binaries 
for PSPP". Any binaries that you download (from anywhere) are not 
"official" in any sense of the word.


To summarize:

1. https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/pspp is the official download page.
2. https://www.gnu.org/software/pspp/get.html provides information 
which we hope will be useful for you.


J'




On Mon, Jun 13, 2022 at 04:27:10AM +, someone wrote:
    Hi all
    In my website, 
https://sites.google.com/site/gsocialchange/statsoft and in my report 
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4105959I'd 
like 
to list the most recent version on the 'official'  or main download 
page http://www.gnu.org/software/pspp/get.html
    I could list the nightly download page, but I'm much prefer to 
list the main download page, especially since the main download page 
says "The windows installers for nightly builds are untested nightly 
builds."

    Unless this wording could change?
    thanks
    gene

Re: pspp-1.6.0 released, 1.6 windows

[John Darrington]

Hello Gene,

Thanks for your suggestions.  I will have a look at that page and consider your
proposals to see if we need to make this clearer to readers.

Thanks,

John


On Wed, Jun 15, 2022 at 09:17:45PM +, someone wrote:

 Could I make some suggestions?
 
 On the get page, move this to just above "Binaries""We do not distribute 
precompiled binaries of PSPP. Computers come with so many different 
archtectures, kernels, operating systems that it would not be feasible for us 
to do so. "
 and add something like, "However, a number of people have kindly compiled 
PSPP into various operating systems. Their compiled versions are described 
below.
 and add the same two sentences to the main page, in the download PSPP 
section, instead of "There are some additional ways you can download or 
otherwise obtain PSPP."
 
 Thanks
 Gene

Re: pspp-1.6.0 released, 1.6 windows

[John Darrington]

PSPP is part of the GNU project, and the primary purpose of the GNU project
is to provide a 100% free operating system.   From that point of view, Windows
binaries are *irrelevant*.   Source code is always more important that binaries
because you can produce a binary from the source code, but the reverse is not
possible.

Having said that, however, it is common for GNU programs to be built to operate
on non-free systems (such as windows).  There is no reason why people shouldn't
help do that task, because it makes a Windows (a non-free system) slightly less
non-free.  But the GNU project's take on such argument is that "slightly 
non-free"
is like saying "slightly pregnant".  A system is either free or it is not.

So if you wish to help provide binaries for a non-free system you are welcome to
do so, and we can and do provide links to those binaries in case people want to
use them.   Emphasis however will always be in the order:

1.  GNU/Linux
2.  Other free systems.
3.  Non-free systems.

J'

On Thu, Jun 16, 2022 at 07:38:59AM +0300, Oren Ish-Shalom wrote:
 It seems that a bird's eye view of the problem is:
 
 - many pspp *windows users*
 - pspp windows users will have a *hard time building pspp from source*
 - for those users, the *source distributions* are (in many ways)
 *irrelevant*
 - for those users, the only (?) way to go is a *windows installer*
 
 I will be *happy to help* improving windows user installations
 
 - I am an experienced linux developer
 - how can I help?
 

Re: pspp-1.6.0 released, 1.6 windows

[someone]

Hi John
Thanks for the explanation. Makes sense.
Gene


-Original Message-
From: John Darrington 
To: Oren Ish-Shalom 
Cc: someone ; j...@darrington.wattle.id.au 
; public@gmail.com ; 
pspp-users@gnu.org 
Sent: Thu, Jun 16, 2022 4:40 pm
Subject: Re: pspp-1.6.0 released, 1.6 windows

PSPP is part of the GNU project, and the primary purpose of the GNU project is 
to provide a 100% free operating system.  From that point of view, Windows 
binaries are *irrelevant*.  Source code is always more important that binaries 
because you can produce a binary from the source code, but the reverse is not 
possible.

Having said that, however, it is common for GNU programs to be built to operate 
on non-free systems (such as windows).  There is no reason why people shouldn't 
help do that task, because it makes a Windows (a non-free system) slightly less 
non-free.  But the GNU project's take on such argument is that "slightly 
non-free" is like saying "slightly pregnant".  A system is either free or it is 
not.

So if you wish to help provide binaries for a non-free system you are welcome 
to do so, and we can and do provide links to those binaries in case people want 
to use them.  Emphasis however will always be in the order:

1.  GNU/Linux
2.  Other free systems.
3.  Non-free systems.

J'

On Thu, Jun 16, 2022 at 07:38:59AM +0300, Oren Ish-Shalom wrote:
    It seems that a bird's eye view of the problem is:
    
    - many pspp *windows users*
    - pspp windows users will have a *hard time building pspp from source*
    - for those users, the *source distributions* are (in many ways)
    *irrelevant*
    - for those users, the only (?) way to go is a *windows installer*
    
    I will be *happy to help* improving windows user installations
    
    - I am an experienced linux developer
    - how can I help?
    

pspp, added to wikipedia page

[someone]

Hi all
Just fyi, i added a few references to the wikipedia article for pspp, added 
articles that are about or use pspp.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PSPP


Gene(unless some enthusiastic wiki editor removes them)

Re: pspp, added to wikipedia page

[Ben Pfaff]

Thanks for helping!

On Thu, Jun 16, 2022 at 4:34 PM someone  wrote:
>
> Hi all
>
> Just fyi, i added a few references to the wikipedia article for pspp, added 
> articles that are about or use pspp.
>
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PSPP
>
>
> Gene
> (unless some enthusiastic wiki editor removes them)