Yay, our goal of a plain, simple, "just click the button to download" has been realized!

We had to write our own custom downloader in Adobe Flex, but here it is! Pick the version you want and then click download - it's that simple ...

Getting there wasn't easy, thanks to being caught somewhere between some highly technical browser security limitations and Adobe's tendency to completely ignore typical browser UI conventions with almost everything they do.

Sheesh. Ironically, it took another Adobe product to fix it - maybe they're crazy like a fox?

I knew you had it in ya Joe. Now all we need is the next issue of MRH to try it on ! OOPs started reading in the middle of your post and didn't see the top of the page so I tryed it and now it's just too darn easy WHERE"S the challenge ;)

Dan

I'd be curious to hear your comments about the adobe software (off line), but for what it's worth, it worked find on Firefox 3.5.3 on Mac OS 10.5.8, and Safari 4.0.3 on Mac OS 10.5.8

This page here, however,

http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/download/mrh_issue3_std

still has the old links, but I presume that the new downloader is still in  testing.

I didn't have any issues with the old way but the download applet will make things easier for those who were right click challenged and it's one less support issue for the MRH admin team to address with each release.

MRH is constantly striving to improve and that's a great thing for us subscribers!  Kudos Joe!

Once I was on the downloader page, there was no way to go back to the site (without clicking back).  A link on the downloader would be good, or even better, simply have the downloader spawn a new page rather than take over the existing one. 

Okay, when you click the link it now spawns a new page/tab.

Yes, if this passes the muster, the issue 4 (due out Oct 9th) download, and all the issue downloads, will move to this new custom downloader.

But I tried it out.  It works great.  Usually Adobe PDF files are the slowest things to load and oppen on my computer, but I was amazed that while it was as slow to load as usual, and slow to open.  When I opened it up, I started "flipping" through the pages of issue #3, and the pages flipped as quick as I could hit the "page arrow."  I'm now really looking forward to Oct. 9!

I know your still a little shy on the $1000.00 contest with needing more supporters but why not give away some of your videos once a month on building Model Railroads. It may even increase sales of the rest of your videos once someone gets their first for free. I really like the new open another page to download without loosing your place in the forum.
Dan

Works great on my Linux box using firefox 3.5.3. Thanks very much.

I assume it would be possible to have simply the UI pop up in the same page and not start up a new window.  As it is I prefered the simplicity of the right click and save. 

Marc Fournier, Quebec