[c-nsp] "Enhanced" download procedure

[Nick Hilliard]

On 17/09/2009 12:47, Tassos Chatzithomaoglou wrote:
> A. If you are using a Unix based system such as a MAC, we have a known
> issue. The file name is getting prefixed with the folder name. E.g - if
> you downloaded the file 'xyz.bin' to a folder 'abc', the file name in
> the Unix directory will be 'abc\xyz.bin'. The file is fine to download.
> Please rename the file to remove the folder prefix 'abc\' before using
> the file. We are currently working on resolving this issue.

the fix is to replace "\" with 'file.separator' in pathnames.  It's in 
java.io.File.  Not hard stuff, this - I've never written a line of Java in 
my life, but it only took me about 90 seconds on google to find this out. 
Didn't anyone actually test this product before it shipped?

I also got hit with this problem in the last couple of days after trying to 
download a new software image, and had a moment of overwhelming facepalm 
when I realised what it was doing.

For the record, it took just over 5 minutes and about 30 mouse clicks to 
find the software image I was looking for, starting off from the home page. 
  Once it started downloading, the rate meter was mostly pegged on 
189kB/sec, but would imperceptibly flick between 189 to 383 and then back 
to 189 again.  Was the person who coded this poached from Microsoft? 
http://xkcd.com/612/

I read the FAQ URL with irony

http://www.cisco.com/web/Downloads/SDS/Software_Downloads/FAQs.html#faq22

> Q. Why did you remove the IOS Upgrade planner?
>
> A. The IOS Upgrade Planner was recently retired as part of a Cisco
> support initiative.  The Download Software area supports all Cisco IOS
> software.  This is one of many enhancements designed to streamline your
> software download process and make it easier to find IOS Software for
> your Cisco products.

Please can we have the old IOS upgrade planner back?  Pretty please?

And if not, can someone please tell Cisco that the Java downloader is 
teeth-grindingly awful.  There are primitives in browsers for downloading. 
  Please use them instead, instead of reinventing the wheel and ending up 
with a square axle.

Nick