coming in the next major update the

Coming in the next major update: the frequently-requested “only ever download Text” option. This gives a massive speed improvement for updates since the Text version is often 5-10 times smaller than the Web version.

The naming and switch meaning is the opposite (“should I download Web?”). It’s bad to have a checkbox-like option express a “don’t” option, because that creates a double-negative and slows people down when deciding. It also doesn’t make sense to have a giant “ON” button represent the removal of something.

• Bad: “Don’t download Web version. [ON]”
• Mediocre: “Download Text only. [ON]”
• Good: “Download Web version. [OFF]”

In 1.2, I made Text mode the default view because it’s much easier to read, faster to load, and less likely to crash the Mobile Safari rendering component. I feared that some people would dislike this change, but it got almost no reaction at all except a few positive emails.

Therefore, I think I’m going to disable the Web-mode downloads by default when this option is released, possibly enabling them in the app only on request and only when online. Feedback indicates that most people just read the Text mode anyway, and if the app skips the Web downloads by default, updates will absolutely fly.