What would it take for you to use a plugin that replaced a core feature of WordPress?
That is the question that has occurred to me this lunch time. You see, WordPress 2.8 has a new way of creating widgets, and a UI upgrade is on the cards, but what if it wasn’t? Would you use a plugin that replaced the core feature?
Now, I’m using widgets as an example because it is a particularly conspicuous set of functions. It is accessed by themes, by other plugins, and the core even creates widgets to include in it. So using a replacement system would mean choosing to forego any existing content.
This about what that means for a moment. If you have a theme, and you want to use new widgets, you need to modify the theme. If you have plugins they will need a rewrite, and the basic widgets wouldn’t work. It is fair, however, to assume that the writer of such a replacement would create new basic widgets such as the text widgets, PHP widget, calendar, search, links, and so on.
Obviously the functionality offered needs to be better; that’s a given, but how much better would it need to be?
I also wonder what kind of dilemma it would create for the core squad. There is something new and better out there but using it means removing something else that already works, is very popular, and is in constant use. By using this new plugin in favour of the original functionality you would be complicit in this dilemma.
It’s interesting don’t you think?
In such a situation the plugin is good option. e.g. I still use Simple Tags because it is a lot better than inbuilt WP tags management
Yes, in most cases that is exactly what happens, but that does assume that the core code is capable of being improved in the way you want and that it isn't the availability of the certain code to other plugins that you are improving.
Don't we have the option of adopting the existing core to make it better or add extra functionality?
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[...] Andrew Rickmann over on his WP Fun WordPress centric site divvied up an interesting question today and that is, what would it take for you to use a plugin that replaced a core feature of WordPress? [...]
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I'm rather assuming that most people wouldn't use it because it contradicts the core. They might petition the core devs to include it, but I don't think they would use it.
I forgot to mention that thought when I wrote the post.