[wp-meta] [Making WordPress.org] #2114: Possible abuse on popular themes list based on active installs

[Making WordPress.org]

#2114: Possible abuse on popular themes list based on active installs
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 Reporter:  acosmin          |       Owner:
     Type:  defect           |      Status:  new
 Priority:  low              |   Milestone:
Component:  Theme Directory  |  Resolution:
 Keywords:                   |
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Comment (by Shaped Pixels):

 Looks like my comment about this in Slack got some attention...I've
 actually noticed the discrepancies from time-to-time from minimal counts
 to crazy numbers like the 30,000 active installs on a new theme. I follow
 the theme lists on a regular basis, so glad to see this was brought forth.

 I would assume that in some cases, it's accidental, while others it could
 be a loophole someone discovered which would lead to the possibility of
 abuse--especially when it comes to the Popular List. There's at least a
 couple themes there, plus others I've seen over the months that have
 numbers that seem out of the ordinary.

 As a side note and as a theme developer (author), I would still love to
 see the total downloads count along side the active installs count. Gives
 the author (and users) a way of seeing the ratio of active installs to
 downloads. I know for me, it would give me a better idea of how my themes
 perform. If a theme has large download counts but low active installs,
 that would tell me users are not overly happy with the theme, therefore,
 creates incentive for the author to do better.

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Ticket URL: <https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/2114#comment:8>
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