3 ms·

Hi skrebbel, didn't want to appear snobby at all... We just didn't have the time to port the whole thing to windows :( What would you write in that button?

by spolu 12y ago

skymt 12y ago
Replacing "only" with "now" (or nothing at all) would improve the tone.
- spolu 12y ago
  Done! Thanks.
  - temp4god 12y ago
    Also, how about a screencast/screenshot?
    - spolu 12y ago
      You can find some in /hack
  - pbhjpbhj 12y ago
    Sorry but I don't think this was right. "Now available on [apple]/[linux]" suggests that it was previously available but not on those platforms. You're going to find a lot of people searching high and low for the .exe file IMO. Personally I'd stick with "Available on [apple]/[linux]", drop the "only" if you're worried about it sounding like it's a choice for exclusivity reasons. Then you probably need to add a by-line below the button indicating "MS Windows and other OS versions not yet available, please contact us through the forum [or whatever] for details". Or have a click through to gather email addresses so you can contact users later if MS Win or other versions come out. Copy is hard, huh.
  - LocalPCGuy 12y ago
    Better yet, have a little spot where you ask for developers with experience porting things like this to Windows for their help.
    - tosh 12y ago
      Or ask people from other platforms to sign up for a mailing list to be notified once you have something for them.
  - CmonDev 12y ago
    Why not change to this: "Available for 5% of computers".
  - lotsofmangos 12y ago
    Also, the bikeshed should be turquoise.
    - skrebbel 12y ago
      Ha! As the prime bikeshedder in this particular subthread, I compliment you. Good remark.
      - lotsofmangos 12y ago
        Don't try to butter me up. We all know you are still angling for cyan with Wilma from accounts. Well that dream is dead my friend, the CFO was spotted playing golf and all his clubs have turquoise handles.
bignaj 12y ago
You just write, "Available on OS X and Linux" (or using the logos if that's your style). Simple, professional, conveys the message without drawing flak for being some angsty kid.
skrebbel 12y ago
Yo! I'm very happy that you didn't intend it to be like that at all. In fact, I first wrote a way snarkier comment and then I remembered the "Show HN" guidelines (and basic human decency) and deleted that comment :) I'm impressed how something as simple as reading "only available on $NOT_MY_OS" in a nicely laid out box gives me the complete opposite emotion than what you intended. My comment got a large number of upvotes, so apparently many felt the same. And still, if you look at it, there's nothing wrong with the text in and of itself. Only on this and that OS. Fine, good to know. So apparently, writing it with that word ("only"), with the OS logos instead of the names maybe, and so happily and centrally and proudly laid out, was what changed the perceived intent. I really thought that you guys were some kind of anti-Windows crusaders. And probably, the exact same text elsewhere, or slightly different text in that spot, would completely change that. Damn, copy is hard!

Hi skrebbel, didn't want to appear snobby at all... We just didn't have the time to port the whole thing to windows :( What would you write in that button?

by spolu 12y ago

Hi skrebbel, didn't want to appear snobby at all... We just didn't have the time to port the whole thing to windows :( What would you write in that button?

skymt 12y ago

Replacing "only" with "now" (or nothing at all) would improve the tone.

spolu 12y ago
Done! Thanks.
- temp4god 12y ago
  Also, how about a screencast/screenshot?
  - spolu 12y ago
    You can find some in /hack
- pbhjpbhj 12y ago
  Sorry but I don't think this was right. "Now available on [apple]/[linux]" suggests that it was previously available but not on those platforms. You're going to find a lot of people searching high and low for the .exe file IMO. Personally I'd stick with "Available on [apple]/[linux]", drop the "only" if you're worried about it sounding like it's a choice for exclusivity reasons. Then you probably need to add a by-line below the button indicating "MS Windows and other OS versions not yet available, please contact us through the forum [or whatever] for details". Or have a click through to gather email addresses so you can contact users later if MS Win or other versions come out. Copy is hard, huh.
- LocalPCGuy 12y ago
  Better yet, have a little spot where you ask for developers with experience porting things like this to Windows for their help.
  - tosh 12y ago
    Or ask people from other platforms to sign up for a mailing list to be notified once you have something for them.
- CmonDev 12y ago
  Why not change to this: "Available for 5% of computers".
- lotsofmangos 12y ago
  Also, the bikeshed should be turquoise.
  - skrebbel 12y ago
    Ha! As the prime bikeshedder in this particular subthread, I compliment you. Good remark.
    - lotsofmangos 12y ago
      Don't try to butter me up. We all know you are still angling for cyan with Wilma from accounts. Well that dream is dead my friend, the CFO was spotted playing golf and all his clubs have turquoise handles.

bignaj 12y ago

You just write, "Available on OS X and Linux" (or using the logos if that's your style). Simple, professional, conveys the message without drawing flak for being some angsty kid.

skrebbel 12y ago

Yo! I'm very happy that you didn't intend it to be like that at all. In fact, I first wrote a way snarkier comment and then I remembered the "Show HN" guidelines (and basic human decency) and deleted that comment :) I'm impressed how something as simple as reading "only available on $NOT_MY_OS" in a nicely laid out box gives me the complete opposite emotion than what you intended. My comment got a large number of upvotes, so apparently many felt the same. And still, if you look at it, there's nothing wrong with the text in and of itself. Only on this and that OS. Fine, good to know. So apparently, writing it with that word ("only"), with the OS logos instead of the names maybe, and so happily and centrally and proudly laid out, was what changed the perceived intent. I really thought that you guys were some kind of anti-Windows crusaders. And probably, the exact same text elsewhere, or slightly different text in that spot, would completely change that. Damn, copy is hard!