In true Microsoft fashion they have made the download process so counterintuitive that your chances of getting what you want is near impossible. Fortunately someone has created a "simple" 12 step process. For yuks, see also here.
And to see how little things have improved see Bill Gates Chews Out Microsoft Over Windows XP
Why not just go here:
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=42299
BTW, just now looked closer, and this link is also in the comments section of your first link Rev ;)
I saw the link and it eventually took me to a page with the options
ENU\x64\SqlLocalDB.msi
ENU\x86\SqlLocalDB.msi
SQLEXPR_x64_ENU.exe
SQLEXPR_x86_ENU.exe
SQLEXPR32_x86_ENU.exe
SQLEXPRADV_x64_ENU.exe
In true Microsoft fashion they still label with x86 and x64 which (IMHO) is as brain dead a naming convention now as it was originally.
x86 = 32 bit
x64 = 64 bit
WTF. So I know the difference but that does not make it logical (or sane). And once I have decided on the 32 bit version, do I choose
ENU\x86\SqlLocalDB.msi
SQLEXPR_x86_ENU.exe
SQLEXPR32_x86_ENU.exe
That was the whole point of the post. If they insist on a stupid naming convention then they should at least annotate.
In my earlier days I maintained the software at several hydroelectric generating stations. The source and object modules were maintained on an IBM mainframe. A cross compiler was used to generate the object (link edit) modules. My superiors decided to implement a new corporate wide naming standard. The current names as defined by me were of the form
sys1.srcelib.jenpeg(module)
sys1.linklib.jenpeg(module)
"module" was a descriptive name that clearly indicated the module's function. There were other libs for other stations like kettle (Kettle Rapids), etc. The new standard would have allocated corporate mandated names for each level leaving me a maximum of four characters to distinguish between stations and modules. Effectively that would have meant creating names like j141 to replace jenpeg(analog). I explained that by implementing the new standard they would be guaranteeing confusion and the loss (due to obfuscation) of modules. They eventually saw it my way and left me to my own standard.
The reason we use names instead of numbers for file names is because names have more meaning. By not choosing descriptive names Microsoft apparently disagrees.
But that's just my opinion.
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