[wp-hackers] What Is Considered Bloat?

[Lynne Pope]

2009/2/6 Andrew Rickmann <mail at arickmann.co.uk>

> <snip of really good stuff>


Great response Andrew!


>
> finally, of course, it is so individual that it is impossible to reach
> agreement. I think the links / blogroll / whatever it is called now,
> functionality is pointless bloat, but loads of people us it, like it,
> and would fight me to the death to keep it. We would both be right,
> and wrong.


This is probably one of the best examples. For the past few years I have
hardly ever used the links/blogroll and would have not missed it. BUT, once
you start looking at what it does, rather than thinking of it as a list of
external links, its actually a really nice thing to have.  eg. call it
"Recommended Posts" and add internal links to posts you want to put back
into the forefront. Extend it to add the link to an external sites feed, or
pull in images, or create a directory... list goes on. As a building block
for using in a different way to that it was originally designed for, its not
bloat at all.

And I think this is what the crux of the issue is - none of us know just how
people are going to build on, extend or modify any of the core code.

For me, bloat is anything that adds features the majority don't need in a
solid blogging platform where these can be handled by optional plugins
written by 3rd party (non-core) developers. Or anything the core devs say is
bloat ;)

Lynne