[wp-hackers] Delete Plugin on SVN please

[Chris Jean]

This brings up an issue that I have with the plugin repo. I'm not proud 
of this, but it has happened a number of times.

I start a plugin project based on a good idea. During one of my moments 
of reflecting upon design, implementation, etc, I decide to figure out 
the name of the project. I find a good one that isn't taken, and I 
register it.

I then invariably get something that swamps me: a big project at work, 
some personal stuff is happening that takes away my time, etc. Then when 
I'm able to come back to the project, days have gone by and I realize 
something. Since the repo system lists new projects based upon the day 
that the repo was approved and not based upon the first version being 
submitted, my great new plugin idea will be quickly lost due to the lack 
of attention on the new plugin list. In other words, if I wait 10 days 
from repo approval to push up the first version, then people will have 
to go 10 days back in the new plugin list to find my plugin. This 
realization has at times caused me to lose interest in a project.

Of course, I could just wait to register a name until the project is 
finished, but this has a few other problems: 1) The name may be taken by 
the time I finish the project causing me to go and rename everything, 
including any promotional/support posts I may have created. 2) I now 
have to wait some random number of days until my repo gets approved 
before I can push out the version. 3) If I'm busy again when my repo is 
approved and don't end up getting back to it in a couple or more days, 
I'm back to the same problem I started with.

If there were a way that I could delete repos that I didn't end up 
using, I could release those names back into the available pool.

Here's an idea. Plugin repositories that have not had an initial version 
commit made to them for a period of time (such as 10 days, a month, six 
months, ...) should be automatically removed and freed. This would 
prevent dead projects that never got started and name squatters from 
removing good names from the pool for no benefit to the community.

Chris Jean
http://gaarai.com/
@chrisjean



Glenn Ansley wrote:
> I'd love to be able to flag a couple of mine for deletion or as
> 'inactive' or 'no longer supported'... like one that was misspelled
> and never had any files committed to it.
>
> Glenn Ansley
> http://twitter.com/glennansley
> http://fullthrottledevelopment.com