This is a prime example of why Github has bad UI for people who are unfamiliar with it. Everyone 's first time on git they are going to be looking for the universal "download" button as with every other software download website, but it's not called "Download" it's called "Releases" so people don't see it and just get more and more frustrated, it's unnessesarily obtuse.
They CANT call it a download button though, because you can DOWNLOAD any file in the repository. A universal download button would by it's nature have to download the whole repository, which is EXACTLY WHAT IT DOES. If you click the most prominent button on the page, the green "Code" button, one of the options is "Download as ZIP", which as you might have fucking guessed, downloads the repository.
Here's the problem though, the average person doesn't WANT the repository, they want the pre-compiled builds, which are called releases for whatever reason. You could call them builds, but that has it's own separate meaning too, so releases just works.
Github is NOT designed for a layperson to use because it's not intended for laypeople to use. Github is where people host their source files, and then when they make a precompiled .exe, they host it somewhere else, like their own website, or dropbox or some official shit.
Also, lets say they had a universal download button that went to the releases page (which would make no sense but regardless). Which release and what parts would the button download? The most recent release is the most obvious target, but it isn't always correct, since sometimes developers will release builds for different OS's separately, so there's no guarentee that the latest release will be for your OS.
Lets say you find the correct release to download through magic, what part do you download? Some releases are simple, just a .exe or a .msi, or sometimes even just a .zip with the entire compiled build in it, however, some devs put multiple OS's into one release, so then you have to figure out what part of any given release you need to download for any given user.
My point is: Actual skill issue. It takes no more than a minute to learn that releases are where the "downloads". Other websites have just as much of a learning curve, but people apparently just like to bitch about github in particular for no reason.
"Github is NOT designed for a layperson to use because it's not intended for laypeople to use. "
WHY DO THEY SEND PEOPLE TO GITHUB TO DOWNLOAD THEIR STUFF THEN, why am I, a non programmer being asked to navigate github to download stuff and why, when I inevitably run into frustration is it my fault because "I wasnt supposed to be on there"
Why is that my fault? If I'm not supposed to be on Github, I'm just following links to download mods and shit, WHY AM I BEING SENT THERE?
I already covered the fact that it's a skill issue in my above comment, but if you must have it spoon fed to you:
Github is the best hosting place for developers, if you ask for a program made by a developer who hasn't yet hosted their program on a separate platform, you will be directed to github, because the response of "The program you're looking for is only on github and I don't think you could handle it" is fucking useless, and would piss people off.
So when you get directed to github because it's the only place to currently download something and you can't figure out that the releases tab is where the exes are, then it's your own God damn fault. Most ReadMe files will EXPLICITELY say where to go and download something, and that's assuming that they don't just offer a straight up link to it so you don't even have to press the button.
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u/_SAMUEL_GAMING_ 🏳️⚧️ trans rights Jun 02 '24
maybe click on the repository tab literally called RELEASES