OpenEuphoria.org
Ticket #17:
Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down
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Reported by
euphoric
Sep 10, 2009
It would be interesting and possibly helpful to devs for gauging interest if you gave registered users the ability to vote on a feature request. Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down images/links could be used, with the current vote noted with the ticket.
Details
1. Comment by DerekParnell
Sep 11, 2009
Wouldn't hurt, and of course it wouldn't be binding either.
There would have to be at least three counters...
- Votes for
- Votes against
- Don't care either way
2. Comment by jeremy
Sep 11, 2009
I was thinking, though, how valid the data would be? If I see request 1 and say that'd be nice, and give it a thumbs up. Then request 2, another thumbs up. I'd suspect that most of the things would make it to a thumbs up, unless it's just a horrid idea.
However, what would happen if each user only had, say, 3 thumbs up per week or something? They could waste them all on one ticket, in effect saying this ticket is far more valuable than any other. Or they see 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. They then have to choose, which one is the most important to me instead of yeah, they all look good.
3. Comment by euphoric
Sep 11, 2009
The data is valid because it is only registered users voting.
Each Thumbs Up would count +1. Each Thumbs Down would count 0.
Desirability Ratio would be calculated with Total Points/Users Voting. That should be a good indication.
As an example, say 10 Thumbs Up, 3 Thumbs Down, and 7 users don't care would score 54%.
If you went with something like this:
Each Thumbs Up would count +1. Each Thumbs Down would count -1. Each Don't Care would count 0.
Then, 10 Thumbs Up, 3 Thumbs Down, and 7 Don't Cares would score 35%.
Depends on how you want to weight each person's vote.
Anyway, just some ideas...
4. Comment by jeremy
Sep 11, 2009
I'm not saying that thumbs up/thumbs down cannot be counted and turned into a valid number. What I am saying is that I think most feature requests will either have no votes (because people don't care) or have all up votes (because it's a good idea) or have all down votes (because it's a bad idea). Rarely will something come along that divides the group down the middle. Sure, there will be, but not often.
Thus, if you make them choose what they want to vote on, giving them a limit, you make them decide what is most important to them. Then you have a valid means of looking at ticket 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 and seeing what's most important to the group as a whole. Not is this ticket important to the group? What about that ticket? I'd like to know what is most important to them. As time goes on and the most important tickets are finished, and a week goes by and they have more voting power, you'll see what's next most important to them.
Also, the voting should be allowed on bugs as well. Sometimes a dev may not pay attention to bug 123 because it's hard, uninteresting or mundane. But if it starts getting a lot of votes, maybe someone will change their mind about working on it.
5. Comment by jeremy
Sep 11, 2009
Oh, about applying it to bugs. The idea of all tickets can be a thumbs up/down, unlimited... That would mean all bugs would be thumbs up and you'd have no idea which one would be a good one to fix. Who's going to thumbs down a bug fix? Hopefull no one. Now, who will give 3 votes to this bug fix and not to a feature request (because they only have three)? Someone who thinks getting that bug fixed is of vital importance! If you see the whole community voting for that bug fix, you know it's in dire need.
6. Comment by euphoric
Sep 11, 2009
Okay, so you're going to parcel out votes on a weekly basis. Well, why not on a daily basis (one per day), or every-other-day basis (one per two days), or per month basis...?
And no saving up either! 
I think we're being way too optimistic as far as anybody even casting votes. I would cast votes, probably... I'm going to start visiting the Tickets page and see what I can accomplish. But MOST users will not. They won't care about it, content that the devs are running the ship tight enough and don't need their input.
This was also only intended for Feature Requests. No bug should be ignored! If somebody reported it, it's probably because it's a show stopper. (I'm talking about interpreter bugs, not web site and other miscellany.) Bugs have priority over feature requests, IMHO.
Anyway, I'm starting to like the idea of "limited votes but vote where you may," so let's see what happens.
7. Comment by jeremy
Sep 11, 2009
euphoric said: "Bugs have priority over feature requests, IMHO."
-D I wonder why there are some bugs reported for the website but some how new features keep popping up? Hm.
8. Comment by euphoric
Sep 11, 2009
Well, obviously, some feature requests are easier to add than some bugs are to fix. 
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