Best way to get users to install the GE plugin

[mikemcc]

Given that:
1. Desktop GE now installs the plugin.
2. The GE installation routine is not easy for non-teccy users who
also may not know much English ...

Is it best to get users to download and install the desktop GE before
using a GE plugin-based application ?

I'm not sure how big the downloads are:
- desktop GE
- GE plugin
as the downloaded installers download other bits.

The problem with the plugin installer is that after it says that the
plugin is installed and you should reload the page, it never works.
You have to alt-tab to find a window hidden behind the other one and
then spot the yellow message from IE, act on it and the whole
procedure appears to start again, except it doesn't. Cue complete
confusion.

I'd love someone to ask a non-teccy Google senior manager / director
to try to install the plugin during an application without *any* help.
Maybe an easier installer would then quickly emerge. Or maybe it's
just IE and Windows that are at fault. Anyway, my users can't hack
it !

Maybe I'm missing something ?

[mikemcc]

It's always sad to answer one's own thread but still ...

I thought it was announced recently that installing GE desktop now
also installs the plugin. I was hoping that this would get around the
difficulties that users have with installing the plugin. However, so
far I'm really disappointed....

I uninstalled GE desktop and plugin, downloaded and installed GE
desktop and then tried to use my GE plugin-based screens with IE.

I expected the plugin to be installed when the desktop was installed,
but apparently that didn't happen because IE led me through the plugin
installation process again.

Three questions:

1. Is the plugin meant to install automatically when GE desktop is
installed ?

2. Do other developers also have the same problem that your far-flung
&/or non-English-speaking, non-teccy users find it very hard to
install the plugin ?

3. If so, what's the best way to eliminate / minimize the problem ?

My contribution is at
http://groups.google.com/group/google-earth-browser-plugin/browse_thread/thread/2c7a63052ff396aa/379bc9de49dd8b19?lnk=gst&q=mikemcc+%2Bplugin#379bc9de49dd8b19
and you can now download the pdf at:
www.around-the-world.co.uk/downloads/GEPluginInstallationInstructions.pdf

However users still can't get their heads around the process -
especially the hard-to-spot yellow warning aboutapproving plugin
installation.

How I wish that Google would assign more staff to support developers
and these forums - even if we had to pay an annual support fee. When
they do have time, they are very very good; at other times it feels as
if GE development will shortly be turned off.

Any ideas very welcome.

[Markw65]

On Jan 14, 5:20 pm, mikemcc wrote:
> 2. Do other developers also have the same problem that your far-flung
> &/or non-English-speaking, non-teccy users find it very hard to
> install the plugin ?
>

Ok, I'll bite. Im afraid I dont understand this part.

o You visit a page that requires GE
o It tells you that you need to install the plugin, and gives you a
big "install it" button
o You click the button, say yes to the security checks, and wait for
the process to finish.

What part of this do your users have trouble with? I've /never/ had
anyone mention a problem...

Mark

[StarTraX]

As a keen user of G the API, I am saddened by your tone.
It's a free product (very rare) a fabulous tool (very rare) and has
only a few bugs (very very rare).
Sure we all get cheesed off aoccasionally, but let's keep our eye on
the main game and not get too grumpy eh?

On Jan 15, 12:20 pm, mikemcc wrote:
> It's always sad to answer one's own thread but still ...
>
> I thought it was announced recently that installing GE desktop now
> also installs the plugin. I was hoping that this would get around the
> difficulties that users have with installing the plugin. However, so
> far I'm really disappointed....
>
> I uninstalled GE desktop and plugin, downloaded and installed GE
> desktop and then tried to use my GE plugin-based screens with IE.
>
> I expected the plugin to be installed when the desktop was installed,
> but apparently that didn't happen because IE led me through the plugin
> installation process again.
>
> Three questions:
>
> 1. Is the plugin meant to install automatically when GE desktop is
> installed ?
>
> 2. Do other developers also have the same problem that your far-flung
> &/or non-English-speaking, non-teccy users find it very hard to
> install the plugin ?
>
> 3. If so, what's the best way to eliminate / minimize the problem ?
>

> My contribution is athttp://groups.google.com/group/google-earth-browser-plugin/browse_thr...
> and you can now download the pdf at:www.around-the-world.co.uk/downloads/GEPluginInstallationInstructions...

[Joerg R.]

You could capture the network data while installing the GE plugin and
therefore get the real installation URL,
download it from there and try to package it with an installer of your
choice (for unattended installations).

My main problem is, that users need administrative privleges for
installing the GE plugin, and for updating
(or am i missing something?!).

Is there any commercial support available from Google for the GE-
Plugin?

regards

[mikemcc]

Sorry StarTraX. I do actually agree with you roughly 100%. In fact I'm
so keen on the product that - as I said - I would happily pay a fee to
help Google pay for more support staff. I have read recently that some
of the excellent gurus have been moved on to other work, which is 100%
understandable, but it would be good if they could be replaced.

Markw65. Fair enough, my heart agrees with you, but I promise you, I
wouldn't waste my time or yours asking about this issue if it wasn't a
genuine problem :-) . You are almost certainly technically savvy and
maybe you have only installed the plugin once and have therefore
forgotten what can be involved. I have uninstalled and reinstalled the
plugin a few times to try to document the process to help my users who
say they are having trouble. For example:
- It is possible to get 2 different popup windows saying that the
plugin couldn't load. That makes it hard to get them simple help.
- There are screens which say "Get the GE plugin now" and then
"Download the GE plugin", when surely one screen would do.
- The "Get the GE plugin now" screen has a "Learn more" link which
takes the innocent user to a page giving details to *developers* about
the plugin and API.
- Popup windows hide other popup windows, so you have to alt-tab to
see why nothing is happening. Easy for you or me, but not for people
who don't know alt-tab.
- The Windows message about wanting permission to install a plugin is
too pale yellow and therefore too missable; users sit there wondering
why nothing is happening..

And remember that our users are never technical, never in our company,
seldom in the same country and often don't speak very good English, so
it's important to minimize problems that they might have.

Joerg R is right, the lack of admin privileges is a big problem. That
and some of the points above are Windows things which Google can't
alter. But perhaps Google Earth staff could help users by:
- minimizing the screens to navigate
- cutting out the link to teccy stuff for developers
- displaying non-teccy text on each screen to "talk" users through
each step
- making the GE desktop installation equally easy and make it install
the plugin (if it doesn't already do so).

So it would be nice if GE staff could comment on these suggestions and/
or suggest other ways to ensure that more non-teccy users can use this
brilliant product.

[Markw65]

On Jan 16, 2:52 pm, mikemcc wrote:
>
> Markw65. You are almost certainly technically savvy and

> maybe you have only installed the plugin once and have therefore
> forgotten what can be involved.

Actually, I've installed it many times. For one thing, I use the IE
Compat VHD's - so every three months (thats how long the vhd's last) I
end up reinstalling the plugin on 4 different virtual machines, on two
different physical machines. I've just gone through that in the last
couple of weeks (the old ones expired jan 1).

For me, its never done anything but ask me if I want to install the
plugin, and then install it. No "savvy" required. Or at least, more
straightforward than the typical manual install process.

But...

> Joerg R is right, the lack of admin privileges is a big problem.

... I've always had admin privileges. So perhaps thats the issue.

Mark