[wp-hackers] "commenter" user role

[Aaron Jorbin]

>> 3.  I'm not convinced that this improves the database structure.  It
>> has the potential to vastly grow the user and user_meta fields.
>
>
> No, not vastly, since repeat commenters would get a single user, with no
> usermeta fields, except the one for capabilities.
>
>

What about a site that gets 100 comments per post, and 20% are one
time commenters?  After 50 posts, there are now over 1k users.  And I
think it would take at least two fields.  Both nicename and
capabilities.

> Also,
>> how do you intend to handle the issue of sites that already have
>> thousands of comments?  I for one wouldn't appreciate waking up to the
>> day after 3.1 (or whenever this got implemented) is released to an
>> e-mail from every site that I've commented on with a user account.
>>
>
> Of course previous commenters wouldn't receive welcome emails.
>
> Just as WordPress was able to transition from posts2cats for example, it
> should be possible to migrate commenters to the wp_users table.
>

That's a vastly different migration, as it didn't really affect users.
 While developers and power users would know what's going on, what
about when Grandma goes to comment on the latest picture of little
Matty and enters Grandma Bettie instead of Grandma B that she
previously used.  We've just now added an extra step for a user who
should have a very simple experience.

-Aaron
http://aaron.jorb.in
twitter: twitter.com/aaronjorbin