[wp-meta] [Making WordPress.org] #6106: Deprecate readme.txt plugin name header

[Making WordPress.org]

#6106: Deprecate readme.txt plugin name header
------------------------------+---------------------
 Reporter:  dd32              |       Owner:  (none)
     Type:  enhancement       |      Status:  new
 Priority:  normal            |   Milestone:
Component:  Plugin Directory  |  Resolution:
 Keywords:                    |
------------------------------+---------------------

Comment (by dd32):

 I've been thinking about this again after seeing some "mistakes" in plugin
 names that I'm not entirely sure were not intentional.

 So I've run a query over all current published plugins as of a few minutes
 ago, and come up with this:

 ||= Case || Plugin Count || Note =||
 || 1. All plugins searched || 60,559 [[BR]] 100% ||
 || 2. Readme Title IS Plugin Name || 46,026 [[BR]] 76% || 🟢   These
 plugins are doing good. ||
 || 3. Readme Title STARTS WITH Plugin Name [[BR]](but does not match) ||
 3,502 [[BR]]5.78% || 🟡    These plugins are appending extra data to the
 name displayed on WordPress.org, SEO purposes? [[BR]] For example, `Plugin
 Name - The widgets plugin for SEO` ||
 || 4. Readme Title CONTAINS Plugin Name [[BR]](but does not match) ||
 4,329 [[BR]]7.15% || 🟠   These plugins are mostly prefixing extra
 keywords to their plugin name, such as `ACME Plugin Name`. [[BR]]The worst
 offenders are things like `OtherTrademarkedPluginName - MyPluginName` ||
 || 5. Readme Title DOES NOT CONTAIN Plugin Name, [[BR]]and Plugin Name
 does NOT contain Readme Name || 8,690 [[BR]] 14.35% || 🔴  These plugins
 just have a completely different name in the fields. In the best case,
 it's `plugin-name` vs `Plugin Name`, in the worst cases it's `WP Plugin
 Name` vs `WordPress Plugin Name` ||


 I think there's probably a few steps needed to make this happen:
 1. Announce/reenforce guidelines on make/plugins.
 2. Immediately cease using `Readme title` for plugins in cases !#4 and !#5
 above, use the plugin title from the plugin itself. Benefit of the doubt,
 that they're not intentionally trying to mislead users, and that it's just
 that they've missed where to update things properly.
 3. After a grace period, 1 month(?), Cease to read the readme.txt header
 entirely.

 Due to the number of plugins which are ignoring the trademark guidelines
 around the usage of trademarked terms, that we reject during plugin
 submission, I believe we'd be likely best to enforce those with code too..

 I think most people would be on the same page, that `My Plugin Name - Long
 description about the plugin and what it does` is not an appropriate
 plugin name, but that we also understand why the majority of plugins do
 this. **I think we have to possibly allow it though**, as the alternative
 is that plugin authors will simply adjust their plugin name in their php
 files too, such that they can continue to do so in the plugin indexes.

-- 
Ticket URL: <https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/6106#comment:3>
Making WordPress.org <https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/>
Making WordPress.org