I have included the ionCube loaders in the past with my software but am wondering if I should continue doing that. It adds roughly 3MB to the file size and really they only need 1 of the 20 files... Of course, not including them and even including links to where to get them may frustrate users too... So, what do you think is the best way to go about this? Include them in the releases and increase filesize by 3MB and download time, or not include them and make downloads quick but possibly cause some headaches...?
I would think that not adding the loaders would be the way to go. Just make sure that the place where they would download your software, you explicitly mention the need for the loaders and probably provide direct links to each of the different variant of the loaders so that the user can just get the one which they need for their system. Most people who needs web scripts would be intelligent enough to follow instructions. Just mention that you did not include the loaders because you do not want them to spend too much time downloading what they may not need. Alternatively, you can provide two versions, one with all the loaders included and one without (which would be appropriate for someone who is upgrading or who already have the necessary loaders).