Vendors please don't do this
cridgit
Posts: 1,765
Dear vendors
I would appreciate if you do NOT include shortcuts to your DAZ store in a product that was paid for (free products are fair game). Imagine if every vendor decided to do this? We would soon not be able to find anything in Content Library because we'd have thousands and thousands of these unnecessary scripts.
For the bright spark who is going to suggest I simply delete the file: as it is installed through DAZ Connect, as soon as I delete the pesky file DAZ Connect picks this up and wants me to update the product.
I have filed a bug report asking DAZ to have this file removed from the product and suggesting such practices are disallowed in future. I cannot see how this benefits customers paying for commercial products.
Thank you in advance
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Comments
As if I did not need another reason to not use DAZconnect ....
It has nothing to do with connect. They are added manually by the vendors. The same set will have it in the manual and DIM downloads as well.
It benefits customers as if they like the product they bought, they can see what else the PA has for sale. Actually it's not a bad idea, as there are times when customers do want to know what else a PA has for sale.
To be honest, I don't like to wade through these kind of folders either. If I want to know what else a P.A. has for sale then I know where the Daz website is. I just add the folders I want to use to my custom categories and access them from there. Folders that only contain vendor links just get left behind and ignored in the Daz category structure.
Thing is, it's not a folder. It's an icon with the other settings, not a separate folder. It serves a purpose for customers, and for those that use it, it works for them and their customers. For the price you're paying for these items, I don't begrudge any vendor trying to bring more visibility to their store for sales in this industry.
I don't mind the icons personally. It is easy enough for me to ignore if I don't need it
I like those when I notice them but it's hardly like I have the time to click on every icon in my DAZ or Poser Library. Many of them are broken too.
I personally won't go to a store because of a link among the product props, but what I DO love is when they include a link to the product user manual. I've only seen a couple of PAs do that. I think more should.
It does have to do with connect because, as was already stated by the OP in the original post, the file cannot simply be deleted.
- Greg
Since I don't use connect I just delete them when I come across them. I don't need to use up even the tiniest amount of memory for anything unnecessary. Yet another reason to avoid Connect like the plague. I know where to find the vendors I want to shop from but I also don't begrudge them doing it, they need to make a living as well.
I really like it when there is an icon that takes me to the PA's readme for the product, (not the DAZ doc page.) Why not include a link to the store at the top of the readme? Seems like the best of both worlds to me...
It's not benefitting me. A broad statement about how it "benefits customers" doesn't resolve the issue I'm facing, thank you for your input.
I know how to find the PA's store on the DAZ website, but I am unfortunately unable to resolve the issue because of how DAZ Connect works. I will vote with my money.
The best place to do this would be under the More Information... context menu button in Smart Content. Currently it opens the DAZ Documentation Wiki index page for the product, but if we had a shortcut there to the ReadMe, I agree it would be super useful!
Where are you concerned that the mass of link scripts will show up? They should not be categorised in such a way that they will show in with content such as presets, so in general you would see them only if viewing the product - and then there would presumably be only one link script file. If they are showing up in places they don't belong then that would probably be best reported as a possible metadata bug.
Purpose? No it's a feature; as a customer I decide if it serves a purpose (or is of benefit) to me or not; personally I'd sooner not see it.
And as I can't remove it if installed via connect, that is another reason not to let Connect near my system; not that I needed another reason.
I think the real problem is that those who use connect can't get rid of it without it causing an issue. Its easy enough for anyone using DIM or manual instals to simply delete it if they don't find it useful. Its the hassle that connect is causing that seems to be the main issue.
This is one of the reasons why I custom install everything, it makes everything a lot cleaner. I know it's not recommended, but I haven't had a problem with any content when moving around user-facing files.
It's part of the product and is in many products already in the store in both connect and DIM. This isn't anything new.
No, it isn't new and before it could be removed without a problem. Now it for those using Connect, removing it treats it as a 'broken' item and wanting to reinstall. THAT behavior is fairly new.
It is NOT a required part of the product and should not be treated as if the product were broken if it is removed.
One annoyance is when these scripts or custom icons are outside the directory where the item is installed but the directory they are in is listed in the readme. I use manual installation and I have a database where I keep track of all items I have bought, what they are for and the directories they are installed. I usually just copy and pase the directories from the readme but quite often I have to go an look in the zip file to see if there really is any content in some directories.
This. If you want to include a link to your DAZ store in your product, that's fine - it's your prerogative. I may not like it (in fact, for a paid item, I find it a bit ick and definitely wouldn't like it) but not being able to get rid of it if we want to is a problem. I take great care in keeping my products organized and categorized and updated and to not be able to get rid of what is essentially an advertisement in my product file is pretty offputting, if I'm being totally honest about how I feel as a customer. And if they continue to put those advertisements in their products it may even make me not want to buy from them again.
For me, it seams a bit ick to include something like that in a paid product. For freebies, I totally understand. If someone buys and likes your product they will likely look at your other products. If they don't, they won't. The first time I bought a hair style that I really liked I went to the PA's Daz Store to look at what else they have to offer. Anyone who buys a product from Daz can easily figure out who the PA is that made it - there is no need to include a link to your Daz Store. It's pretty off putting, imo. Again, that's just my honest opinion as a customer and it's not my intention to offend anyone.
If I like the product, I'll find the store on my own and purchase more.
If I don't like the product, I won't. Nagging will only make it more likely that I will avoid purchasing from that PA in the future.
I don't want a PA deciding to put ads on MY computer.
They want on THEIR computer? Fine with me.
DAZ has already provided enough reasons to avoid Connect. No need to have more.
I have issue with vendors starting a new entire Library/SomethingTopLevel folder just to put themselves in there for no functionality reason. Leave my Library category alone yes please.
I have issue with vendors who produce one asset file folder per scene item (data/PAspoon1, data/PAbowl2, data/PAbowl3) because it's insane and unfixable. (How did such vendors pass the qualtiy control gate?)
I have no issue with vendors adding link scripts in their related product preset folder. Definitely won't mind direct links to user guide, readme, or vendor own blog/vblog/site.
As to link to vendor's store home page or the purchased product page, what's the point of that? Are vendor homepages where customers could find new updated files, tips, post sales services, FAQs and other goodies? Yes, please, do link! If not....over-enthusiastic self-promotion typically produce the exact opposite effect, so at vendor's own discretion.
In any case, I'd like to emphasize...the issue raised by OP is more 'Connect broke something again?', and not 'hello vendors don't add ANY link to product folder' (he's opened to useful shortcuts)
is this SF-Design only ?
i do not like it
same as i do not like products categorized after their brand
and it seems to be a new trend every little PA having a brand short in front of their products
+1! Another reason to avoid Connect or DIM or any other installer. I don't see the need for those programs - on my side. On DAz's side, this may be different.
This is why I download everything manually and then unzip it to a seperate foldoer and then remove all the unnecessay verdor name folders and links and icons before manually installing them into my custom folders. I understand that the vedors are trying to increase sales but as a customer I am purchasing a product not further advertising. Its annoying but not as annoying as the lack of continuity from one vendor to the other in regards to floder layouot.
But it's is part of the products and has been a while now for months, this isn't new. I guess you can vote with your wallets, but consider you're complaining about an icon in most likely dozens if not a hundred products it seems like a complaint way after the fact. There are more important things than to voice concerns about icons to better help those customers get to a store rather than do a search, when people complain about the search in the store anyway.
If you wish to make searching harder for yourself, that's fine, but you can't ask to make it harder for everyone else.
Same here - lack of consistency and too many sub-folders made me reorganise my runtimes - now I'm much happier and can find what I'm looking for / browse for ideas freely.
The Categories function is nice - but a lot of work to set-up + maintain when I can just put things where I like instead.
Connect? From everything I've read, it seems it won't work the way I do, so no thanks.