Guidelines for writing core plugins

In order to keep the bot easy to set up and run, and avoid bunches of unknown code cluttering things up and creating maintenance burden, there are a few things that should be considered before a plugin is added to the default set. None of them is a hard requirement, but they’re important.

• Is the plugin useful to a broad audience? Not everyone has to find it useful, but it should be something common.
• Does the plugin require configuration to be useful? Preferably, the plugin should at least do something without being configured. More wizard questions means more effort when you first start using it, so a plugin should be able to function without making the user answer them. Configuration making the plugin work better is fine (see safety and bugzilla from 6.0).
  • This especially applies to plugins that require keys from third-party APIs. It sucks, because so many useful APIs need keys even for read-only access, but a user should not have to open a browser during the config wizard; every question should have an obvious answer.
• Is the plugin robust? Sometimes, it’s better not to include a plugin than to include a really buggy version of it, even if it’s useful.