[wp-meta] [Making WordPress.org] #6511: Bring back the active install growth chart

[Making WordPress.org]

#6511: Bring back the active install growth chart
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 Reporter:  markzahra         |       Owner:  (none)
     Type:  enhancement       |      Status:  new
 Priority:  high              |   Milestone:
Component:  Plugin Directory  |  Resolution:
 Keywords:                    |
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Comment (by carlhancock):

 I'm struggling to see why the active install growth chart or being able to
 use this type of data to compare a plugins performance against another is
 some sort of problematic use case or some sort of security issue?

 If it is some sort of security concern as to why this information needs to
 be obfuscated to the point that simple raw numbers in the form of that
 chart is problematic it would be extremely helpful for whoever was
 involved in the decision-making to actually explain why it's problematic.

 The chart wasn't displaying PII data.  So this isn't an issue of PII data
 being exposed.  It's not a privacy concern.  It has been stated in this
 trac thread that it is indeed a security concern.  Can someone explain
 exactly why it's a security issue? Given the chart is not being displayed
 any security issue it supposedly posed should now be moot so an
 explanation of exactly why it's problematic should be possible.

 I'm also curious as to why people think this data should be private once
 it's made available once again.  That seems to run counter to transparency
 and openness which are the hallmarks of an open source project. Especially
 when it is not PII data we are talking about here.

 If it is some sort of knee-jerk reaction to relatively new developer-
 focused solutions like wpMetrics it seems pretty crazy to hamstring the
 plugin community as a whole because of dislike for this type of usage of
 the API.

 This data was vital to plugin developers for a wide variety of reasons
 already mentioned here.  Not knowing the health of your plugin in the repo
 (and this data was part of knowing the health) impacts product decision-
 making.  It can impact motiviation and desire to work on a plugin for
 those that aren't commercialized in some way and are just doing it out of
 enjoyment.  A lot of times that enjoyment comes from the motifivation you
 get seeing something grow.  And that chart was a great visual way to do
 so. It also impacts things like business decisions related to things like
 acquisitions and knowing how a plugin is performing.  If it's growing or
 if it's declining and how quickly.

 Hopefully someone can explain in more detail exactly what the issue is so
 that people at least have something to go on. In the absence of a
 legitimate explanation as to why the active install growth chart poses
 some sort of security concern or why the data wasn't deemed obfuscated
 enough all people have to go on is wild speculation, hearsay, rumors and
 guesswork. Which is never a good thing for the community.

-- 
Ticket URL: <https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/6511#comment:31>
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