[wp-hackers] Wordpress 1.5 downloads

[Aaron Brazell]

> >
> > It only needs to be a two-step process the first time. You expand the
> > Categories menu, select the category, write the post. The next time, as
> > long as you don't minimize the categories menu, it is still expanded
> > and categories are immediately accessible. What's the problem?
> 
> As long as you use that computer.  Switch to a different PC, and you're
> back to clicking.
> 
> Don't pontificate on what's not a problem for you.  If it's a problem
> for someone else, then we should not minimize the complaint just because
> we don't agree with it.

I certainly am not minimizing the complaint.  You make a valid point and something that can certainly be fixed by a plugin.  And I'm certainly not saying that it SHOULD be hidden behind AJAX menus but in 2.0, it is.  Perhaps in the future it will not.  So then the question is how to fix it for this release? And that's where plugins come in to play, no?

> 
> >>I'm curious. Has any actual user testing been done on WordPress? In
> >>other words, has anyone put non-developer users in front of a WordPress
> >>system, asked them to perform tasks, and watched them to see how they
> >>do, and what confuses them? I suspect the results would be informative.
> >>There are some other problems I've noticed in the UI, but so far those
> >>are all common to 1.5 and 2.0.
> >>
> >
> >
> > Anybody can sign up for beta testing, downloading SVN updates,
> 
> Sure, anyone can; and anyone can make suggestions and even offer some
> mock-ups for improvement.  A lot of discussion can result, with some
> energy building; and then nothing really happens.
>    http://comox.textdrive.com/pipermail/wp-hackers/2005-June/001519.html
>
> WordPress isn't designed by committee, and a lot of things that people
> actively dislike continue to be rolled in (nofollow, feed: (thankfully
> removed), etc).  I don't think formalized (or even informal) user
> testing would do any real good unless there was a mechanism to ensure
> that the fruits of the testing would translate into product changes.
> 

So are you agreeing with me or disagreeing?  I'm echoing what Ryan said 3 days ago (http://comox.textdrive.com/pipermail/wp-testers/2005-December/001659.html)... We need to do a better job of bringing in testers.  I'm also echoing the sentiments of people like Podz and Moshu who inevitably will have to support pre-release versions if people are just going and haphazardly downloading pre-release version simply because they are the newest and not understanding that they are not stable.  I agree we need more testing but I think it would have to be done in somewhat of a controlled way... Do you agree or disagree?