[Catalog-sig] Please turn off ratings

[Brian Jones]

I think if PyPI had a ratings system that more closely matched some kind of
(perhaps updated) consensus on what would be "useful", this conversation
could focus more on what that looks like and who might implement it, which
would be more constructive IMHO. Attempting to completely eradicate a
feature by trying to collect anecdotal input doesn't seem like the way to
go.

Why don't we start a new thread about what a good ratings system looks like
and try to get actual consensus from it so real work can get done?

I, for one, am not a fan of the ratings system, but I don't agree that PyPI
has no business having one. I'd be happy if someone came up with a system
that was useful enough to justify its existence. Maybe there are just
particular features of the existing system that make it hard or unintuitive
for end users to use in a meaningful way, which then makes any resulting
'rating' useless to anyone else who happens by.

Regardless, I suspect some of the vitriol toward the existing system is
really about features of the system, and not about the existence of the
system. Catalogs have ratings systems. I'd argue that a lot of sites that
have ratings systems are, in fact, catalogs to one degree or another.
Including Amazon.

Jacob, what would make you *want* those emails you're getting as a package
owner? What would make users *want* to leave feedback that would be useful
to maintainers & other users?



On Wed, Apr 6, 2011 at 11:07 AM, Tres Seaver <tseaver at palladion.com> wrote:

> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
> Hash: SHA1
>
> On 04/05/2011 02:28 PM, Jacob Kaplan-Moss wrote:
> > Hi folks --
> >
> > Just got another one of these:
> >
> >> From: PyPI operators <richard at python.org>
> >> Subject: New rating on Django
> >>
> >> [REPLIES TO THIS MESSAGE WILL NOT GO TO THE COMMENTER]
> >> xen has rated your package as 0/5.  Comment (optional):
> >
> > I'd like to ask, again, to turn off ratings on PyPI packages.
> >
> > How is this feature helpful to anyone at all?
> >
> > * It's not helpful to me as a maintainer: I have no idea *why* "xen"
> > gave this rating.
> > * It's not helpful to users: they have no idea what "0" means.
> > * It's not helpful to "xen": his feedback can't be acted upon, so
> > we'll never be able to aprove.
> > * It's not helpful to PyPI: what value does "0/5" provide to a catalog?
> > * It's not helpful to the Python language: how does "0/5" in any way
> > help Python users choose tools?
> >
> > PyPI is a catalog. Naive rating/voting features aren't part of that
> > mission. Can we please turn this ill-considered, useless feature off?
>
> +1
>
>
> Tres.
> - --
> ===================================================================
> Tres Seaver          +1 540-429-0999          tseaver at palladion.com
> Palladion Software   "Excellence by Design"    http://palladion.com
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-- 
Brian K. Jones
My Blog          http://www.protocolostomy.com
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