IBMDataScience / DSx-Desktop

IBM Data Science Experience Desktop was built for those who want to download and play locally. Analyze, learn, and build with the tools you love, right on your desktop.
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Confusion about which version to install for Windows 7 #53

Closed traincroft closed 6 years ago

traincroft commented 6 years ago

The information on the IBM webpages is diverse and confusing. It would be very helpful to have a "guide" or a "map" about the differences between cloud vs. desktop installations.

This is particularly true for Windows 7 installation. I tried to follow these instructions, and found myself spending more than 3 hours (!) to download a version that would only work on Linux. Fortunately, I found someone on the DSX staff (there was no direct consultation offered) who told me that I had followed a decision-path down to Linux-only information, so I could stop that useless effort. (But why is the installation information so confusing, as to allow me to make that mistake? and why can't we identify the user's OS, and prevent them from spend enormous time and diskspace on the wrong installation package?)

Newcomers need a much clearer set of advices and instructions. These kinds of complexities can drive customers away.

thank you, --michael

Debbani commented 6 years ago

@traincroft I'd like to understand the issue that you ran into better. There are 3 buttons - one for Windows, Mac and Linux. Did you download the image for Linux instead of the one for Windows? Our documentation does go over the different flavors of the offering: https://datascience.ibm.com/docs/content/getting-started/welcome-main.html?audience=cloud&context=analytics

traincroft commented 6 years ago

Dear Debbani,

Thank you for asking.

There are several entry-points to the DSX documentation and downloads. If one begins ag http://pokgsa.ibm.com/projects/d/dsxdoctest/local/install.html

From: Debbani notifications@github.com To: IBMDataScience/DSx-Desktop DSx-Desktop@noreply.github.com Cc: traincroft michael_muller@us.ibm.com, Mention mention@noreply.github.com Date: 02/24/2018 10:59 AM Subject: Re: [IBMDataScience/DSx-Desktop] Confusion about which version to install for Windows 7 (#53)

@traincroft I'd like to understand the issue that you ran into better. There are 3 buttons - one for Windows, Mac and Linux. Did you download the image for Linux instead of the one for Windows? Our documentation does go over the different flavors of the offering: https://datascience.ibm.com/docs/content/getting-started/welcome-main.html?audience=cloud&context=analytics

— You are receiving this because you were mentioned. Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub, or mute the thread.

traincroft commented 6 years ago

Dear Debbani,

Thank you for asking. There are multiple entry-points into DSX for download. For example, if you start at http://pokgsa.ibm.com/projects/d/dsxdoctest/local/install.html , there is not much support for windows vs. macos vs. linux. Further, the minimum configuration seems to be 3 distinct nodes, and the download size is enormous, and requires about 3-4 hours to complete. If you start at https://datascience.ibm.com/features or https://www.itcentralstation.com/products/ibm-data-science-experience, the information is mostly about marketing. If you start at https://datascience.ibm.com/registration/stepone?context=analytics , there is first some confusion about how to get to the next page, and then a series of login pages, and then a requirement that one choose the correct storage service (how do I know the answer to this question?) and the correct spark service (how do I know the answer to this question?). If you try https://w3-connections.ibm.com/wikis/home?lang=en-us#!/wiki/Wf5bd671653a8_431b_b438_a5a06596a806/page/Where%20to%20download%20DSX%20Local , then the link to "where to download DSX local (for IBMers) is a dead link. If you try https://w3.ibm.com/search/#/search?query=dsx%20download , then you must understand what "PPA" is (and I do not).

All of these links were returned by w3 search in response to "dsx download". If there is a page that both (a) explains the choices, and (b) provides clear links to the choices, would you send me the URL? And would you see if w3 search can be fixed, so that it leads to the correct explanation+download page?

thank you, --michael

Michael Muller, IBM Research, Cambridge MA USA IBM Master Inventor

From: Debbani notifications@github.com To: IBMDataScience/DSx-Desktop DSx-Desktop@noreply.github.com Cc: traincroft michael_muller@us.ibm.com, Mention mention@noreply.github.com Date: 02/24/2018 10:59 AM Subject: Re: [IBMDataScience/DSx-Desktop] Confusion about which version to install for Windows 7 (#53)

@traincroft I'd like to understand the issue that you ran into better. There are 3 buttons - one for Windows, Mac and Linux. Did you download the image for Linux instead of the one for Windows? Our documentation does go over the different flavors of the offering: https://datascience.ibm.com/docs/content/getting-started/welcome-main.html?audience=cloud&context=analytics

— You are receiving this because you were mentioned. Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub, or mute the thread.

jerry1100 commented 6 years ago

Hi @traincroft, thanks for your concern.

I think nowadays, figuring out where and how to download DSX Desktop is relatively straightforward. For example, if you google "dsx desktop download" the first link is our GitHub and the second link is the DSX Desktop website, both of which offer clear instructions on how to download it.

That said, do you have any other concerns? If not, I'll go ahead and close this issue.

traincroft commented 6 years ago

Thank you very much! Yes, please close this issue.

all the best, --michael (aka traincroft)

Michael Muller, PhD, IBM Research, Cambridge MA USA ACM Distinguished Scientist ACM SIGCHI Academy IBM Master Inventor

From: Jerry Wu notifications@github.com To: IBMDataScience/DSx-Desktop DSx-Desktop@noreply.github.com Cc: traincroft michael_muller@us.ibm.com, Mention mention@noreply.github.com Date: 05/11/2018 05:28 PM Subject: Re: [IBMDataScience/DSx-Desktop] Confusion about which version to install for Windows 7 (#53)

Hi @traincroft, thanks for your concern.

I think nowadays, figuring out where and how to download DSX Desktop is relatively straightforward. For example, if you google "dsx desktop download" the first link is our GitHub and the second link is the DSX Desktop website, both of which offer clear instructions on how to download it.

That said, do you have any other concerns? If not, I'll go ahead and close this issue.

— You are receiving this because you were mentioned. Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub, or mute the thread.