Add plugin trac + svn

[pcav]

The current situation with plugins is rather confusing for the user: many repos, not all of them available all the time, often no easy way to understand ahow they work. For developers the situation is also not optimal: it is difficult to notifiy bugs, easy to miss them, and difficult to fix problems in plugins other than its own. I suggest to put all them on a trac (either a separate instance or a brach of the main QGIS trac). A set of useful functions would then be:

• a script for automatic packaging after any commit; this will solve the frequent problems with plugins with wrong XML data being asked to be upgraded any time, and make the dev life easier
• a rating system, so users can tell which ones to trust more
• download statistics, for the same purpose
• an info page, better if open to coments

[neumann]

I will list here some of my expectations regarding the new centralized plugin repository - and related to it - some extensions on the Python plugin installer:

Central Repository

• Quality Assurance (poor plugins are bad for QGIS reputation)
• Status (experimental, production)
• trac-like option to report bugs and enhancement requests
• category
• documentation:
  • where in the UI can the plugin be found (menu, toolbar, dialogue)
  • initial check-in date, last updated date
  • contact information - how to reach the plugin author (developer and organization/company)
  • purpose of the plugin
  • URL to further information/manual/howto
  • support options (if any)
  • what language is supported

Plugin Install Enhancements

• reveal metadata listed above
• way for users to comment, rate or report bugs (could also be provided by a separate web-based tool, but the plugin-installer should show a link to this other system)
• plugins could be grouped by category
• plugin installer could display external documentation webpage within a qtwebkit embedded in the installer
• plugin-installer could show screenshots of the plugin

[pcav]

I would add:

• we need cooperative platform to let one or more maintainer group plugins under a reasonable number of submenus: now it is very difficult to find a plugin when installed