Everyone has their own list of features that they would like to see in a product. Everyone's features are important to them, but not everyone has the same list of features, or the same priority for their features. In an open source application, the users actually have a say in which features go into the product, so often they are very vocal and sometimes even demanding about their features.
The developers on the other hand don't have all the time in the world to develop all the requested features. Not only that, but since each person has a different set of priorities, the developers are stuck trying to balance out what goes in and what doesn't.
Deciding What Goes In
So how do the developers decide which features are implemented and which aren't? Well, they have their own list of criteria, and it looks something like this:
- Which features are requested the most?
- Which features should go into this version?
- Which features should be reserved for the next version?
- Has the code been frozen (no more features, only bug fixes)?
- Which features are of greater value or worth to the application?
- Which features do not actually belong in the application?
Submitting A Feature Request
Here are the steps that you need to take in order to submit your feature request. Following this procedure will ensure that your feature does make it into the list, and that you don't annoy the developers with multiple feature requests in the process.
- Go to the correct forum:
Make sure you use the Feature Requests forum to post your feature requests in. The bug reporting forum is not the correct forum. - Go to the correct forum topic:
At times, the developers may make a call for new features. Usually they supply a dedicated forum topic for feature requests. Make sure you use this, as often they miss stand alone topics. - Look for existing feature requests:
Make sure your feature has not been requested before. Search the forums, read the developers' blog posts, look at the latest task list on the project site. Only once you're certain this feature has not been requested should you post it. - Explain your feature in detail:
Make sure that you go to great lengths to be very clear about what your feature is and how it works. Remember to specify exactly where it should reside in openlp.org, and how to access it or how it's invoked.
