Notifications Talking to the users
#1
Posted 27 December 2021 - 03:21 AM
Currently we have a very tidy mechanism for indicating what's new in a version update to Open Rails and for updating to that version using links in the Menu form:
At present, Menu.exe calls home (no more than once a day) to report the current version and find if there is a newer one. If we extend that to report the Windows OS and a notification id and perhaps a language too, we can provide a notification mechanism.
A typical update would look like this, which I think looks better but provides no extra features. Users click on the red "notification" icon to reveal the notify text.
When we published v1.4, Menu.exe was coded to not offer that update to users of Windows XP as it was incompatible. It would have been better to encourage users to upgrade their Windows OS, perhaps like this:
If we reach a point in Open Rails where we decide that a "breaking change" is necessary, then we can communicate that directly:
The same mechanism can be used to publicise news items. For example:
The content of these messages is intended to come from a web-based API, so new messages can be written at any time. The "What's New" and "Details" buttons also link back to website pages.
Any thoughts on whether this is worth doing and is this the best way to do it?
#2
Posted 27 December 2021 - 09:10 AM
Weter, on 27 December 2021 - 07:15 AM, said:
You don't have to click on the Notifications icon but, yes, it would be tidier if there was an option to disable them. Enabled by default though, of course.
Along those lines, we would benefit from collecting a bit more information about the use of Open Rails. At present, we only know how many active users there are as their systems check back for the update information. (It's a huge number - 15,000 if I remember correctly.) There is a lot more information that could be reported, such as which Options are in use and how much memory users have installed. This would help us make better informed decisions.
Collecting of information has to be opt-in, so we could use the Notifications to justify opting in and encourage users to do so.
#3
Posted 27 December 2021 - 09:33 AM
#4
Posted 27 December 2021 - 11:56 AM
#5
Posted 27 December 2021 - 12:50 PM
*Would it be worth trying to regionalize content releases? I'm not sure how many in Europe are terribly interested in N. American content, and vice versa
#6
Posted 27 December 2021 - 02:20 PM
#7
Posted 28 December 2021 - 05:08 AM
Genma Saotome, on 27 December 2021 - 02:20 PM, said:
We've managed pretty well without it so far.
But I can foresee a time when we need to warn our users about something, such as a "breaking change" or starting to collect their usage data.
#8
Posted 05 February 2022 - 04:20 AM
This looks more interactive. About other, I need some time to think.
Maybe, as for types of update, there would be an option to turn them off.
.
I've thought:
Yes, it looks more modern, interactive, verbose and allows users to be aware of recent news, critical changes, related to exact their own installation, and see possible recommendations. All those – without need to visit OR.org site. Not bad idea. But as it passes some sort of personal data, there would be a warning and an option to disable that.
The separate question is localization of such notifications.
#9
Posted 29 October 2023 - 08:34 AM