[wp-hackers] WP 3.1 admin bar

[Otto]

On Thu, Feb 17, 2011 at 11:00 AM, Mark E <mark at simplercomputing.net> wrote:
> On 02/17/2011 09:49 AM, Otto wrote:
>> No, what it amounts to is that it's too late in the cycle to be
>> requesting changes like this. The admin bar has been worked on for
>> several months now. If you wanted input on it being off by default,
>> you should have said so at least 3 months ago.
>
> This is last thing I'll say on the topic since this isn't the place to
> discuss it: What is lacking in the dev team is a certain kind of thinking
> capacity. That's not a complaint. It's objective observation that ought to
> be taken as constructive criticism.

For the record, I disagree with you and think it should be on by
default. This isn't a lack in my "thinking capacity", this is just me
flat out disagreeing with you.

I'm sorry that you think that is going to cause you headaches with
clients. I'm thinking more about having the admin bar appear to all
users, everywhere. If you having to tell people how to turn it off is
a problem, well, too bad. That's your problem with your customers that
you will have to deal with. I think it is more important to have the
feature active and visible than to avoid your minor customer service
problems.

Features that are off by default are rarely turned on. I saw somewhere
that new features which default to off get used less than 5% of the
time (Firefox, maybe? Not sure there). Whereas features that default
to on get something like 90% of people not bothering to turn it off.

Heck, even people who have used WordPress for quite a long time don't
know about the "Screen Options" or "Help" dropdowns on the admin
screens. They're too hidden. Things should be up front and visible if
you want them to get used.

You don't like the admin bar. I get that. But I like it and I think
most people will like it. Therefore it's on and it should be on and it
should default to on and that's just the way I see it.

-Otto