Thank you for the response, Matthias.
Please know that my comments are not pointed at any one individual - I appreciate your responses and your efforts to help very much. My feedback here is very much pointed at DNN as a platform and the folks who work for DNN as an organisation.
Again, your comments suggest "we have no control over it" (I am assuming "we" implies your are representing DNN). Let me explain why I have a big problem with that statement. Take a look at the following "trail" that a visitor to the DNN web site might very reasonably follow.
- I got to the DNN home page, browse the menu and find Start under the Platform menu. Seems like a good place to start :) That takes me here. http://www.dnnsoftware.com/Platform/S...
- I se the Install option so go here: http://www.dnnsoftware.com/Platform/S...
- I am not interested in the cloud demo at this stage - I want to install it and try it out. So, I see the Web Installer section and select Downloads. So, far I have followed a very logic path - and a 100% "DNN recommended" path. That takes me here: http://www.dnnsoftware.com/Community/...
- Right at the top of the page I see two options - "Standard Process" and "MS Web Matrix". Because I have had good success with other products with WebMatrix (such as WordPress, which installs easily and quickly and requires no file permissions, etc) I select that option.
- HERE'S THE IMPORTANT POINT. I got here through a path that is "pure DNN" (in terms of the web pages I hit). There are no qualifiers, no excuses, no references to third party tools being "outside of our control" - I just see an installation option that is front and center and clearly recommended by DNN, given it's prominence.
I go down that path - and all the "it's not our code, someone else's issue" excuses start. Why? How can WordPress install easily through WebMatrix , including creating a web site, installing a database server, configuring and leaving me in a completely supported fashion - while DNN has all these "outside of our control" excuses.
If the installation is so "unpredictable" through WebMatrix then don't include it. Work to make it better. Don't present it as such a viable option and then fall back to "Oh, that's not really the way you should be going because we don't have any control".
I will say it quite clearly - in my humble opinion, DNN has completely dropped the ball by ignoring all the complexity around installation. WordPress does this so much better and has so much more market share - there are many factors, I know, but being able to get up and running quickly is essential.
Oh by the way, the WordPress "DNA" is really not very Windows-friendly. In fact, after installation on IIS there's a "health" page - and they specifically highlight Windows / IIS as "Yellow", with a suggestion to move to other platforms. BUT - the installation is very straightforward, fully supported and I've never seen a single excuse about WebMatrix. It just works.
It's really painful to see DNN - Microsoft-centric to the core - have a far weaker installation story on the Windows platform and make excuses.
Thanks.