[GNC] Upcoming report deprecation

[Geert Janssens]

Too much to deal with in one reply. I'll split it up in smaller chunks.

Op vrijdag 24 mei 2019 02:49:10 CEST schreef Frank H. Ellenberger:
> Am Do., 23. Mai 2019 um 22:26 Uhr schrieb Geert Janssens
> 
> <geert.gnucash at kobaltwit.be>:
> > For clarity: I recommend the --extra switch *only* to experiment with
> > these
> > example reports (and possibly a few other experimental features). If you
> > want to continue to use one for production reports, it should be
> > installed as a custom report [1]
> 
> I am still against removing or hiding them, special behind the same
> flag as the bit rotten register2.

I could argue the reports we're talking about are equally bit rotten. Both 
still compile and run, but other than that don't get any developer attention 
at all.

I believe we'll simply have to agree to disagree here. And find a compromise 
that can work.

> That is where menus are for: you can choose, there is no need to eat
> the complete card.

Again, I have different opinion. Going with your analogy: if there's too much 
on the menu it would take me too much time to find what I want to eat.

Large projects like LibreOffice or their commercial counterpart Ms Office are 
aware of this and they do large usability studies in hopes of improving this. 
In the past I read several pointing out that too many options on a menu is 
actually a bad thing. Unfortunately we don't have access to such surveys for 
the GnuCash interface, so we have to work from limited data. At worst if no 
one reacts now the amount of user complaints afterwards could serve as our 
poor man's survey. If many complain then we can equally revert (part of) the 
decision.

> The next time somebody may complain the business menu entries are
> cluttering the whole appearance.
> 
:-)
I actually agree with that statement. In the past I have pondered a lot on how 
to shift to a different concept to group gnucash functionality in a way that's 
is more accessible than it is now. That is however a completely different 
topic and merits a thorough discussion on its own.

The important difference though is we know the business features are actively 
used. So far no one indicated to be using the reports that were proposed to be 
removed from the menus. (With the notorious exception that you wrote they were 
useful to you in some way early on. I'll get back to that part in another 
mail.)

> > So far noone who's actually using these reports has stepped up. A few have
> > expressed concerns we may be dropping potentially valuable reports.
> 
> You asked only english speaking users. You did not ask on the other
> lanhuage lists.
> 
Fair enough. I have now sent a similar mail on gnucash-nl. Feel free to 
solicit the other lists as well as I'm not subscribed there.

Geert