[wp-hackers] general: core-plugins and options, -naming & codex-ui-docs

[24/7]

Hi list,

i was away for some days and just read through the different topics
currently beeing discussed.
With having an eye on the community focus in this period i took a
first look at my support history
in the de-forum to address some of the most basic problems wp-
beginners (which are the largest
part of all wp-users/-blog owners). Please note, that i (and most of
you) know that some things
can't be changed and therefore not meant to be a discussion starting
point or some sort of core-critics or else.
Some of the text below could be dropped into the discussions from this
weekend, but i don't want to drop
in five mails and fill your mailboxes, so i sum it up.

Core Naming) Collisions are likely to happen to people who a) have
learnt them selve how to code b) don't know how
to code or c) don't know the core inside out. Those collisions doesn't
only happen with functions, but with globals
too. Due to the fact that core-devs and the surrounding hardcore super-
professional (and small) community have
the deepest knowledge of code and core-code, it would make the live of
plugin-devs, theme-devs and blog owners
who want to modify their themes (everybody wants it and starts there -
fun that this nearly never happens to the
holy plugins) much easier if core would respect that fact and have a
pretty strict naming conventions. The
second benefit would be that most of the mentioned above people would
see at a first look, without really knowing
what they are doing, that this or that is something that belongs to
the core.

Core Plugins and Options) A lot of the issues people have can simply
be solved with things like "Go there and click that
checkbox". Others (more than the first group) can be solved with
"write the following into your functions.php"
and "no it doesn't matter where exactly". With the note from Andrew
Nacin in my mind "bundle" (if i understood
that right): Maybe it would make sense to a) collect the most common
support request and make them avaible as
option or extend those options b) "bundle" "core plugins" into the
most commonly needed packages and make these
setups avaible and c) maybe group them into basic/intermediate/
advanced options.

Codex UI Docs) This is the smallest thing: An extremly good starting
point to wordpress is step 4 from the Codex
"New to Wordpress - Where to start". Maybe this could be mor prominent
and on the index page of wordpress.org.
Maybe it would some of the most basic questions.

As i said: if you did understand something in the text written above
as offensive against you or wp, please
don't see it that way. If you give support in the wp.org or in some
other (or lang-specific) forum or similar
and got some time left to read through your history in the next week:
I'll try to sum up mine and hope some
people jump in to get a list of basic needs and gaps that could get
filled. Wordpress lives from the masses
of "just users". I think we should take some time and invest some
efforts in making their lives easier.

Thanks for reading.

-K.