diff --git a/collects/meta/web/download/data.rkt b/collects/meta/web/download/data.rkt
index 9a7c910cac..c69b19c81c 100644
--- a/collects/meta/web/download/data.rkt
+++ b/collects/meta/web/download/data.rkt
@@ -82,9 +82,6 @@
     ["plt" "Racket Package"]
     ["sit" "StuffIt Archive"]))
 
-;; Used to sort packages when more then one is rendered on a page
-(define -package-order- '(racket racket-textual))
-
 (define -mirrors-
   ;; This is a sequence of
   ;;   (location url reposnisble-name email [techincal-contact])
@@ -134,6 +131,15 @@
      "solsona@acm.org"]
     ))
 
+;; Used to sort packages when more then one is rendered on a page
+(define (-installer-orders-)
+  `((,installer-package ,eq? (racket racket-textual))
+    (,installer-binary? ,eq? (#t #f))
+    (,installer-platform ,regexp-match?
+     (#px"\\bwin(32)?\\b" #px"\\bmac\\b" #px"\\blinux\\b" #px""))
+    (,installer-platform ,regexp-match?
+     (#px"\\bi386\\b" #px"\\bx86_64\\b" #px"\\bppc\\b" #px""))))
+
 ;; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 (provide versions+dates all-versions current-version version->date
@@ -221,19 +227,34 @@
                     (error 'installers "bad installer data line#~a: ~s"
                            num line))))))
 
-;; sorted by version (newest first), and then by -package-order-
+(define (order->precedes order)
+  (define =? (car order))
+  (define l (cadr order))
+  (define (num-of x)
+    (let loop ([l l] [n 0])
+      (cond [(null? l)
+             (error 'precedes "could not find ~s in precedence list: ~s" x l)]
+            [(=? (car l) x) n]
+            [else (loop (cdr l) (add1 n))])))
+  (lambda (x y) (< (num-of x) (num-of y))))
+
+;; sorted by version (newest first), and then by -installer-orders-
 (define all-installers
-  (sort (call-with-input-file installers-data parse-installers)
-        (lambda (i1 i2)
-          (let ([v1 (installer-version-number i1)]
-                [v2 (installer-version-number i2)])
-            (or (> v1 v2)
-                (and (= v1 v2)
-                     (let* ([p1 (installer-package i1)]
-                            [p2 (installer-package i2)]
-                            [t1 (memq p1 -package-order-)])
-                       (and t1 (or (memq p2 (cdr t1))
-                                   (not (memq p2 -package-order-)))))))))))
+  (sort
+   (call-with-input-file installers-data parse-installers)
+   (let ([fns `([,installer-version-number . ,>]
+                ,@(map (lambda (o) (cons (car o) (order->precedes (cdr o))))
+                       (-installer-orders-)))])
+     (lambda (i1 i2)
+       (let loop ([fns fns])
+         (if (null? fns)
+           #f
+           (let* ([get (caar fns)] [<? (cdar fns)] [x1 (get i1)] [x2 (get i2)])
+             (or (<? x1 x2) (and (equal? x1 x2) (loop (cdr fns)))))))))))
+(with-output-to-file "/tmp/x" #:exists 'truncate
+  (lambda ()
+    (for ([i all-installers])
+      (printf "~s ~s\n" (installer-platform i) (installer-path i)))))
 
 (define package->name
   (let ([t (make-hasheq)])
diff --git a/collects/meta/web/download/download-pages.rkt b/collects/meta/web/download/download-pages.rkt
index 5d8c8360c4..bfb1fe731f 100644
--- a/collects/meta/web/download/download-pages.rkt
+++ b/collects/meta/web/download/download-pages.rkt
@@ -92,6 +92,8 @@
       location.href = selector[selector.selectedIndex].value;
     }
     // returns an ordering for the platform names, an array of regexps
+    // note that the entries are sorted in a good order, so return an order
+    // that only brings the locally desired entries to the top
     function getPlatformOrder() {
       var p = navigator.platform;
       var l = function(str) { return p.indexOf(str) != -1@";" }
@@ -104,18 +106,15 @@
           Linux32  = /Linux.*i386/,
           Unix     = /Unix/,
           Solaris  = /Solaris/;
-      var default_order = [Win, Mac, Linux, Unix];
-      // The default is the common case
-      if (p == null) return default_order;
-      else if (l("SunOS")) return [Solaris, Unix, Linux, Mac, Win];
-      else if (l("Win"))   return [Win, Mac, Linux, Unix];
-      else if (l("Mac"))
-      return [(l("Intel")?MacIntel:MacPPC), Mac, Unix, Linux, Win];
+      if (p == null) return [];
+      else if (l("SunOS")) return [Solaris, Unix];
+      else if (l("Win"))   return [Win];
+      else if (l("Mac"))   return [(l("Intel")?MacIntel:MacPPC), Mac, Unix];
       else if (l("Linux")) {
         // also show the linux explanation if it's a linux
         document.getElementById("linux_explain").style.display = "block";
-        return [(l("_64")?Linux64:Linux32), Linux, Unix, Mac, Win];
-      } else return default_order;
+        return [(l("_64")?Linux64:Linux32), Linux, Unix];
+      } else return [];
     }
     // show the linux explanation on change too (do it with a timeout so it
     // changes even when the arrow keys are used to move the selection -- since
@@ -134,28 +133,26 @@
     //
     var opts = selector.options;
     var len = opts.length;
-    var tmps = new Array(len); // temp array to sort the options
     // get the order and a make a sorting function
     var order = getPlatformOrder();
     function getOrder(str) {
-      for (var i=0@";" i<len@";" i++)
-        if (str.search(order[i]) >= 0) return i * 10;
+      for (var i=0@";" i<order.length@";" i++)
+        if (str.search(order[i]) >= 0) return i;
       return 999;
     }
     function isBetter(opt1,opt2) {
+      // sort first by the order, then by how they were placed originally
       var ord1 = getOrder(opt1[0]), ord2 = getOrder(opt2[0]);
-      // prefer non-source
-      if (opt1[0].search("source")>=0) ord1 += 1;
-      if (opt2[0].search("source")>=0) ord2 += 1;
            if (ord1 < ord2)       return -1;
       else if (ord1 > ord2)       return +1;
-      else if (opt1[0] < opt2[0]) return -1;
-      else if (opt1[0] > opt2[0]) return +1;
+      else if (opt1[2] < opt2[2]) return -1;
+      else if (opt1[2] > opt2[2]) return +1;
       else                        return  0;
     }
     // sort the options, need to use a temporary array
+    var tmps = new Array(len);
     for (var i=0@";" i<len@";" i++)
-      tmps[i]=[opts[i].text,opts[i].value];
+      tmps[i]=[opts[i].text,opts[i].value,i];
     tmps.sort(isBetter);
     for (var i=0@";" i<len@";" i++) {
       opts[i].text  = tmps[i][0];