Guys, I have serious reservations about your system of having to click 'install' before being able to download.
I have been a vB user for years, and have always made a point of installing any new mods/hacks/templates onto one of my dev boxes and testing it fully before finally deciding to install. It is only after this testing period, if I am satisfied with the product, that I will install said product, and returning to the originating thread, click 'install'.

At the moment I am having to click your 'install' button, download the mod for testing, then immediately click 'uninstall' as in fact I haven't installed it at all!

I fully realise that if I am to get any support, and to show my support, I do have to click the install button on any mods that I use, and that is obviously the way it should be, but your system assumes that simply by downloading the product, the member/user is installing it, this is wrong.

You are taking the whole install thing to casual. It doesn't matter at all. It doesn't make the coder any better or worse if you click install and unless you suffer from repetitive strain injury it doesn't hurt to click install.

That's missing the point in this age-old argument.

To get any download you have to click install then wait through 2 page refreshes, if you're only planning to look at the hack's code, that's another click and 2 more refreshes to uninstall it.
Server load aside, loading 2 redirect pages and the thread {2 times to download the code with the intention of installing} {3 times just to have a look at the code with no intention of installing} is stupid, especially if there are a lot of replies to load.

The problem with the argument is there is no right answer.
If the surfer doesn't have to click install then people might forget and the coder doesn't get credited, but it's easier to get the file.
If the surfer does have to click install then it takes longer to get the file but the coder gets credited... unless the surfer was only downloading to look, or uninstalls it in which case the coder gets over-credited.


To me there are two solutions:
1. AJAX. That would stop the multiple page loads but still leaves the possibility of over crediting the coder.
2. Allow downloading at will, then wait a little while and ask the surfer if they installed it and kept it installed. If so, credit the coder. If not, don't.
2-variation. Implant some code into each hack that says "when I've been installed for 1 || 3 || 7 days, click the install button".

I think 2-variation is the most ideal option because it can include uninstall code too. But then you have privacy issues.

__________________
"When you do something right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all" - "God", Futurama

My vB hacks: Site Backup (easily backup your forum files) -- Image Status Checker / Dead Image Finder - 3.5/3.6 -- Stop people mass deleting / editing their posts plugin - 3.6 -- v3arcade reduce scores to keep arcade competitive -- Make guests give a name when posting or replying - 3.0

a) number 3 is called number 2 :p
b) 1 defeats your first point because they ajax would probably be even worse.