[wp-testers] RE: A Word of Warning! If you're importing Catagories to Tags READ THIS!

[Mark Jaquith]

On Sep 21, 2007, at 5:31 PM, Chuck Adkins wrote:

> I still
> don't like the idea of the categories disappearing though. I don't
> plan on using tags really. I think using Technorati tags are plenty
> for what I do. I guess I just don't get it. Why have tags like this,
> if you can't edit, add, and remove without having a plug in?

Categories are not disappearing.  If you don't want to use tags, and  
want to continue using categories -- go right ahead.  The two will  
coexist.

> I feel if your going to introduce something, do it right and
> follow, don't half ass program it, an rely on plug in producers to
> finish your job for you.

It's not laziness that drives that decision -- it is caution, and  
experience from mistakes made.  Once we add a feature, it is very  
hard to take it away.  So even if it is used by 5% of people, that 5%  
will kick and scream if we touch it.  Thus we're stuck with its  
maintenance burden.  Look at a plugin like UTW.  While a very popular  
plugin, it grew too fast, adding a bunch of "edge" features.  It very  
quickly became a huge development burden on its author (who calls it  
"a multi-headed hydra of a plugin").  WordPress has a very different  
approach: figure out the core, do that well, and make it possible for  
others to build on top of that core to satisfy edge needs.  We also  
took into account the new shorter development cycle.  If a plugin for  
WP tags comes out that is super popular and of universal appeal, we  
can have that functionality out to all WP users by the end of the  
year in WP 2.4

--
Mark Jaquith
http://markjaquith.com/

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