Now available: Zotero 5.0
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There's no automatic upgrade at the moment and "you’ll be offered the choice to upgrade within the next few weeks" (to quote the announcement – my emphasis).
Edit:
@Stefanie%20Plutschow I was wrong, sorry, please read Dan's answer below.
But: I wouldn't upgrade, too.
But II: Don't forget always to have a backup of your whole Zotero-library! That's quite more important, as a classical failure can tackle you down immediately...
Check this documentation on how to back up: https://www.zotero.org/support/zotero_data
If you don't want to update to 5.0 now, your best bet is probably to install Zotero Standalone 4.0, which is still on the download page. That will share your existing data directory without upgrading it, and if you get updated to the Zotero Connector for Firefox in the next few weeks, you can just keep using 4.0 Standalone to access your data. (You can also wait and install 4.0 Standalone later, but doing it now and verifying that it works normally will help you avoid surprises closer to your deadline.)
I just wanted to install Zotero on a machine I didn't have Zotero installed. I discovered the standalone application.
This is dramatic. My use case scenario is that of university students doing literature research, collecting articles in our own library, at home and elsewhere (in the hospitals where they work). I showed them how to install the Firefox extensions - piece of cake.
Now they have to install the standalone application. With admin privileges of course. Which for obvious reasons, they don't have.
please, please, please, provide a way to have Zotero without the need for an admin account. It makes your excellent product completely useless...
Hans
It's a good decision to move to standalone version with a simple connector. Although the old browser plugin was easy to install, it did seem to freeze my browser occasionally, possibly when syncing in the background or similar. I had moved to standalone a few months ago but the old browser addon was still using resources. This seems much better now.
I think it's generally cleaner to have different programs for different purposes. I also could install it on a university machine without admin rights.
So, thanks again!
1. Zotero got more stable in version 5 and makes it fit for the secure future of FF
2. Zotero support is still superb; Dan fixed my WebDAV issues within hours
3. I still experience severe issues with Windows 10 and scaling to 125%; Zotero fonts are very blurry and make it difficult to work
4. Having the browser and the collection folders in two separate windows makes it difficult to safe the citation right to the correct collection. That was much easier in Zotero for FF; maybe a solution like for the Mendeley Plug-In in FF would work, where clicking on the Save to Zotero button would open a small window to choose the destination inside the Zotero library to save the citation to.
5. Is there a way to drag and drop PDFs directly to the Zotero library without the need to first download and then attach/drag and drop them?
Please let me know if you would like to discuss any of the items in a separate thread. Thanks.
6. Also due to the new separate windows compared to Zotero for FF, it appears to be less convenient to open PDFs. Is there a way to change the Z5 preferences so that PDFs will always open in the existing FF window - independent of my system settings for the default PDF program?
Regarding to your No. 4: If you're selecting a folder in Zotero Standalone, and then store the citation, Zotero will put it in that folder.
I find this more convenient than picking a folder out of a small PopUp-list. You should have Zotero Standalone opened, as I understood the programs notifications, to have the most of functions available.
For your information, there's a github issue where you can track the progress: https://github.com/zotero/zotero/issues/1181
Please read https://www.zotero.org/support/forum_guidelines#etiquette before posting here again or your messages will be deleted.
While Firefox was a great first home for the toddler and teenager, it was starting to (or eventually will) restrict the young adult.
Comment. I've been using the standalone version for years and very much prefer it to the FF version. Besides being able to choose between browsers, it lets me view my entire Zotero library on one screen and compose or browse on another. (I use 2 screens on desktops and an iPad + laptop when traveling.) But even without multiple screens, switching windows is a snap. It also makes more sense to have the app independent of a particular browser. Those of you who are complaining about the standalone version should try it before you dis it.
Question. I work on three computers: iMac at home, iMac at work, and Macbook Air for traveling. My Zotero library syncs between the 3. PDF attachments to Zotero items reside on a NAS drive at home, and I use Zotfile to manage them. I also use LyZ and BibDesk when writing with LyX.
My question is how best to make the transition to 5.0. For instance, can I upgrade the version on one machine, use it for a few weeks to make sure it's working for me, and then do the two others? Or, are 4.x and 5.0 so incompatible that upgrading one breaks the connectivity to the other two?
Also, given the plugins and auxiliary programs mentioned above, are there any foreseeable issues upgrading to 5.0?
How to upgrade: TAKE A FULL BACKUP. Then, follow 5.0 installation directions. It will offer to move your existing Zotero directory, and if all goes well, you will be up and running in a few minutes.
I am a low-key user of Zotfile and Zutilo and, for my needs, these are working fine in 5.0
Add-ons not working in 5.0 - Google Scholar Citations and Prevent Duplicates