For plugins that we release into the WordPress.org repository (like CampTix and Tagregator), what should our support policy be?
Since we have a lot of things we want to accomplish, and a limited set of resources, my opinion is that we should provide product support, but not user support. i.e., we should fix bugs and security vulnerabilities, but not help people who are having trouble using the plugin, or who want to customize it to fit their specific needs.
The would ensure that the quality remains high, but would avoid us getting bogged down with doing other people’s work for them.
We could manage expectations by having something like this in plugin description:
Support Expectations:
We created this plugin to scratch our own itch, and are happy to offer the code to the community in the spirit of open source. We are only able to provide limited support, however. If you find a legitimate bug or security vulnerability∗, please let us know; we take those seriously and will fix them.
On the other hand, if you’re just having trouble using the plugin, or making it fit your specific needs, then you’ll need to solve the problem yourself, hire a developer, or get help from the community.
∗ If you do find a security issue, please disclose it to us privately by sending an e-mail to [email protected], so that we can release a fix for it before you publish your findings.
What are everyone’s thoughts on that?