Re: IBM's web site : Download Redbooks

On 13-Oct-2016 09:00 -0500, Jim Oberholtzer wrote:

This is getting really frustrating. IBM's new web architecture not
only sucks pond water, but gives the impression they have no clue
what they are doing.

Nothing about their update-look has been preferable to me. And my network usage seems to have gone way up just for my access to the Knowledge Center, as compared to the prior code-iteration for the KC; I figured the slower access was mostly just scripting stuff running, but I have been wondering if perhaps they are dynamically rebuilding some pages of documentation or the KC that I visit, rather than allowing my browser to just present a cached version.?

Now I can't download Redbooks. I've tried three different browsers
(some updated one not), two different versions of MS OS with
different browsers so I am left to the conclusion that the web site
is busted. After they do a wonderful job of requiring me to provide
them work email, phone, etc. then the site simply refuses to download
the book.

I just visited redbooks.ibm.com [using an ancient Mac and thus necessarily a vintage Firefox] and searched on `redpaper AND ibm AND i AND install`, then clicked on the first link presented as [IBM i Network Install, REDP-4937-00](http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/abstracts/redp4937.html?Open) and was able to successfully [Download PDF (0.6MB)](http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/redpapers/pdfs/redp4937.pdf)

Normally I obtain links directly to the PDF from a web search, rather than going to the ibm.com site; I have never had an issue downloading that way either.

Look, I don't mind giving IBM my work information; they've had it for over
30 years but then refusing to download the book for whatever reason, that's
getting petty.

FWiW: When I arrived at the Redbooks site for my test of a download, I was already logged-in with my IBM ID. No new information was asked of me, neither when I first arrived, nor when/after I clicked to download.