Re: [Koha] fighting feature creep and cleaning up Koha
That's quite a list. Thank you for putting it together. I know a couple of those things have been irritating me for years. Elaine Bradtke VWML English Folk Dance and Song Society | http://www.efdss.org Cecil Sharp House, 2 Regent's Park Road, London NW1 7AY Tel+44 (0) 20 7485 2206 (This number is for the English Folk Dance and Song Society in London, England. If you wish to phone me personally, send an e-mail first. I work off site) -- Registered Company No. 297142 Charity Registered in England and Wales No. 305999 --- "Writing about music is like dancing about architecture" --Elvis Costello (Musician magazine No. 60 (October 1983), p. 52) On Fri, Apr 6, 2018 at 8:32 AM, Gaetan Boisson wrote: > Hello community, > > (please don't answer to this message with comments about the specific > issues mentioned, do it rather on bugzilla to keep things manageable, > thanks!) > > during the last hackfest in Marseille we started a list of features or > parts of Koha that currently exist but don't make us entirely happy for a > reason or another and could be removed. At first i was only thinking of > broken features that are part of Koha, then defaults that could be better, > and it grew to whole parts that might be considered not so useful. (The > list was made mostly by me and two other BibLibre project managers : > Claudie and Stéphane, Owen also had a look.) > > Since we started i have found the right term for what i was concerned > with: feature creep. > > I feel like there's been a very solid effort into refactoring code. But we > should also consider the features themselves. Every feature comes with a > cost: we need to maintain the code for it, we need to maintain > documentation about it, we need to train people about them, etc. Having > redundant features might look like it leaves choice to the user and is a > good thing, but it can turn into a mess pretty fast. Another aspect that i > am really concerned about are features that don't actually work. The best > example for this according to me is results highlighting. I'm so used to > the interface I barely see it any longer and don't pay attention, but it's > broken, and new users notice it. This kind of not really functional feature > included in the release looks extremely bad in my opinion. We need to do > something about it to make Koha more accessible and better. > > As this is very much as controversial as this sounds, some of these bugs > have generated debates, as expected. So i'm bringing this to the mailing > list in order for all users to be able to have a look at them and tell us > what they think. Since there are a few places concerned, an omnibus was > created: https://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/show_bug.cgi?id=20396. > I don't want to send one message per topic to the list, that would probably > be way too much. I also think it won't be that productive if the debates > start from this generic message on the list. If you are a library with a > strong opinion about one of these issues, i suggest you create an account > on bugzilla and voice your concerns there. You are most welcome to do so in > order to say that killing feature X is a great idea! (I expect we are more > likely to hear from people who are against change than from people who are > for it.) > > I'd like to add that since i don't write code, i'm not going to "kill" any > of these features myself, this is more about putting the spotlight on some > aspects of Koha that i think should be streamlined. > > Here's what was created so far, i will try to put the more contentious > issues first: > > > - https://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/show_bug.cgi?id=20415 > > Remove UseKohaPlugins system preference > > > - https://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/show_bug.cgi?id=20417 > > Remove OpacCloud system preference and feature > > > - https://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/show_bug.cgi?id=20528 > > Remove the items tab from the detailed bibliographic view > > > - https://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/show_bug.cgi?id=20398 > > Add a system preference to disable search result highlighting in the staff > interface > > > - https://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/show_bug.cgi?id=20401 > > "Item circulation alerts" is overkill and could be removed > > > - https://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/show_bug.cgi?id=20406 > > Remove ISBD display > > > - https://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/show_bug.cgi?id=20408 > > Remove the availability facet and filter > > > - https://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/show_bug.cgi?id=20414 > > Remove COinSinOPACResults system preference and make it always on > > > - https://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/show_bug.cgi?id=10047 > > "Cataloguing search maybe useless?": in the cataloguing module, there is a > different kind of search, that we could do without. > > > - https://bugs.koha-commu
Re: [Koha] fighting feature creep and cleaning up Koha
If anyone wants to comment but do not have a bugzilla account and does not want to create one, you can send me your comments and I will post it on your behalf. On Fri, 6 Apr 2018 at 12:32 Gaetan Boisson wrote: > Hello community, > > (please don't answer to this message with comments about the specific > issues mentioned, do it rather on bugzilla to keep things manageable, > thanks!) > > during the last hackfest in Marseille we started a list of features or > parts of Koha that currently exist but don't make us entirely happy for > a reason or another and could be removed. At first i was only thinking > of broken features that are part of Koha, then defaults that could be > better, and it grew to whole parts that might be considered not so > useful. (The list was made mostly by me and two other BibLibre project > managers : Claudie and Stéphane, Owen also had a look.) > > Since we started i have found the right term for what i was concerned > with: feature creep. > > I feel like there's been a very solid effort into refactoring code. But > we should also consider the features themselves. Every feature comes > with a cost: we need to maintain the code for it, we need to maintain > documentation about it, we need to train people about them, etc. Having > redundant features might look like it leaves choice to the user and is a > good thing, but it can turn into a mess pretty fast. Another aspect that > i am really concerned about are features that don't actually work. The > best example for this according to me is results highlighting. I'm so > used to the interface I barely see it any longer and don't pay > attention, but it's broken, and new users notice it. This kind of not > really functional feature included in the release looks extremely bad in > my opinion. We need to do something about it to make Koha more > accessible and better. > > As this is very much as controversial as this sounds, some of these bugs > have generated debates, as expected. So i'm bringing this to the mailing > list in order for all users to be able to have a look at them and tell > us what they think. Since there are a few places concerned, an omnibus > was created: > https://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/show_bug.cgi?id=20396. I don't > want to send one message per topic to the list, that would probably be > way too much. I also think it won't be that productive if the debates > start from this generic message on the list. If you are a library with a > strong opinion about one of these issues, i suggest you create an > account on bugzilla and voice your concerns there. You are most welcome > to do so in order to say that killing feature X is a great idea! (I > expect we are more likely to hear from people who are against change > than from people who are for it.) > > I'd like to add that since i don't write code, i'm not going to "kill" > any of these features myself, this is more about putting the spotlight > on some aspects of Koha that i think should be streamlined. > > Here's what was created so far, i will try to put the more contentious > issues first: > > > - https://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/show_bug.cgi?id=20415 > > Remove UseKohaPlugins system preference > > > - https://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/show_bug.cgi?id=20417 > > Remove OpacCloud system preference and feature > > > - https://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/show_bug.cgi?id=20528 > > Remove the items tab from the detailed bibliographic view > > > - https://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/show_bug.cgi?id=20398 > > Add a system preference to disable search result highlighting in the > staff interface > > > - https://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/show_bug.cgi?id=20401 > > "Item circulation alerts" is overkill and could be removed > > > - https://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/show_bug.cgi?id=20406 > > Remove ISBD display > > > - https://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/show_bug.cgi?id=20408 > > Remove the availability facet and filter > > > - https://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/show_bug.cgi?id=20414 > > Remove COinSinOPACResults system preference and make it always on > > > - https://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/show_bug.cgi?id=10047 > > "Cataloguing search maybe useless?": in the cataloguing module, there is > a different kind of search, that we could do without. > > > - https://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/show_bug.cgi?id=12561 > > Omnibus: Deprecate non-XSLT detail and result views > > > - https://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/show_bug.cgi?id=20399 > > "Remove "did you mean" for the staff interface" > > > - https://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/show_bug.cgi?id=20403 > > Refactor "Keywords to marc mapping" > > > - https://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/show_bug.cgi?id=20404 > > Extended patron attributes should always be on > > > - https://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/show_bug.cgi?id=20405 > > enhanced messaging preference should always be on > > > - https://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/show_
[Koha] fighting feature creep and cleaning up Koha
Hello community, (please don't answer to this message with comments about the specific issues mentioned, do it rather on bugzilla to keep things manageable, thanks!) during the last hackfest in Marseille we started a list of features or parts of Koha that currently exist but don't make us entirely happy for a reason or another and could be removed. At first i was only thinking of broken features that are part of Koha, then defaults that could be better, and it grew to whole parts that might be considered not so useful. (The list was made mostly by me and two other BibLibre project managers : Claudie and Stéphane, Owen also had a look.) Since we started i have found the right term for what i was concerned with: feature creep. I feel like there's been a very solid effort into refactoring code. But we should also consider the features themselves. Every feature comes with a cost: we need to maintain the code for it, we need to maintain documentation about it, we need to train people about them, etc. Having redundant features might look like it leaves choice to the user and is a good thing, but it can turn into a mess pretty fast. Another aspect that i am really concerned about are features that don't actually work. The best example for this according to me is results highlighting. I'm so used to the interface I barely see it any longer and don't pay attention, but it's broken, and new users notice it. This kind of not really functional feature included in the release looks extremely bad in my opinion. We need to do something about it to make Koha more accessible and better. As this is very much as controversial as this sounds, some of these bugs have generated debates, as expected. So i'm bringing this to the mailing list in order for all users to be able to have a look at them and tell us what they think. Since there are a few places concerned, an omnibus was created: https://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/show_bug.cgi?id=20396. I don't want to send one message per topic to the list, that would probably be way too much. I also think it won't be that productive if the debates start from this generic message on the list. If you are a library with a strong opinion about one of these issues, i suggest you create an account on bugzilla and voice your concerns there. You are most welcome to do so in order to say that killing feature X is a great idea! (I expect we are more likely to hear from people who are against change than from people who are for it.) I'd like to add that since i don't write code, i'm not going to "kill" any of these features myself, this is more about putting the spotlight on some aspects of Koha that i think should be streamlined. Here's what was created so far, i will try to put the more contentious issues first: - https://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/show_bug.cgi?id=20415 Remove UseKohaPlugins system preference - https://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/show_bug.cgi?id=20417 Remove OpacCloud system preference and feature - https://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/show_bug.cgi?id=20528 Remove the items tab from the detailed bibliographic view - https://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/show_bug.cgi?id=20398 Add a system preference to disable search result highlighting in the staff interface - https://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/show_bug.cgi?id=20401 "Item circulation alerts" is overkill and could be removed - https://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/show_bug.cgi?id=20406 Remove ISBD display - https://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/show_bug.cgi?id=20408 Remove the availability facet and filter - https://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/show_bug.cgi?id=20414 Remove COinSinOPACResults system preference and make it always on - https://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/show_bug.cgi?id=10047 "Cataloguing search maybe useless?": in the cataloguing module, there is a different kind of search, that we could do without. - https://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/show_bug.cgi?id=12561 Omnibus: Deprecate non-XSLT detail and result views - https://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/show_bug.cgi?id=20399 "Remove "did you mean" for the staff interface" - https://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/show_bug.cgi?id=20403 Refactor "Keywords to marc mapping" - https://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/show_bug.cgi?id=20404 Extended patron attributes should always be on - https://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/show_bug.cgi?id=20405 enhanced messaging preference should always be on - https://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/show_bug.cgi?id=20409 Remove OpacBrowseResults system preference and make it always on - https://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/show_bug.cgi?id=20410 Remove OpacGroupResults system preference and feature - https://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/show_bug.cgi?id=20411 Remove StaffDetailItemSelection system preference and make the feature always on - https:
