[wp-hackers] Plugin usage info

[Doug Stewart]

On Mon, Feb 28, 2011 at 10:27 AM, Mark E <mark at simplercomputing.net> wrote:
> I wrote such a plugin. It's the first thing that gets installed on a site.
> It blocks the built-in WP update checks completely, and/or it can also
> override the checks to let them run using new functions, but without
> disclosing unnecessary info, such as what I describe in the following:
>

A plugin is unnecessary. A simple define() addition to your
wp-config.php will do the same thing.

> My particular point in the second reply from me was about the sending info
> about MySQL, PHP, whether the site is running multinetwork, how many users
> there are, how many blogs there are, what language the site runs, and so on.
> None of that is required to determine if there's an update for a plugin.
> That far beyond necessity.
>
> I can understand how a company might want to track that sort of info for
> it's own purposes. However, I was flat out shocked to find out that it was
> being sent out. I had no idea. And I recall loads of rather harsh press that
> several well-known companies have received for not disclosing that sort of
> thing.
>

There is no active disclosure, yes. We've also been down this road
before and those making the decisions as to what content gets included
on the .Org and with the core distribution don't feel that this
disclosure is a priority.

My feeling is that this sort of info/process is fine for companies
whose very lives are lived on the Web (i.e., the vast number of
customers that WP contributors, consultants and users cater to) and so
the necessity just doesn't quite "click".  I also find myself
wondering if the government's addiction to Drupal doesn't coincide
with this...

> Anyway I can make the plugin available if people are interested in having
> it.
>

Again, offer is appreciated, but the mechanism to disable it is already in core.


-- 
-Doug
@zamoose
http://literalbarrage.org/blog/