[wp-hackers] Simplicity in 2.next

[Doug Stewart]

Ryan Boren wrote:
> 
> Right.  The best situation is where we could get a patch upstreamed to
> the original author.  But if they're unresponsive, we need to be able to
> commit a fix that will allow people to upgrade.  Think linux distro
> model.
> 
> Ryan

That seems like a particularly unhelpful analogy to be following here. 
Linux distros ship a lot of software with each release and are 
responsible for insuring that all that software works together. 
WordPress' model is exactly the opposite: you get core functionality and 
Hello Dolly, nothing else.  Unless you're proposing shipping a massive 
.zip/.tar.gz with every bloody plugin known to the WP community, I fail 
to see the comparison as a valid one.

Most plugins are the work of a single author, with little code control 
or existing bug tracking interface.  The best way to keep plugins 
working and up to date is to bug the authors, a task which is best left 
to a decentralized infrastructure (i.e., let the people who use the 
plugins annoy the plugin authors).

I think something along the lines of the old One-Click installs from 
wp-plugins.net or the direction that Alchemy/Elixir were heading is a 
much better idea, IMNSHO.

-- 
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Doug Stewart
Systems Administrator/Web Applications Developer
Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Labs
dstewart at atl.lmco.com