337773 - Many addons are listed under incorrect/too many Categories.

Status: RESOLVED FIXED

(addons.mozilla.org Graveyard :: Administration, enhancement)

Description

[davidtryse+bz]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8.0.3) Gecko/20060426 Firefox/1.5.0.3
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8.0.3) Gecko/20060426 Firefox/1.5.0.3

With now over 1300 different extensions it's getting difficult to find ones that you're interested in by browsing the different categories on the mozilla addons site. The problem is that most extensions list themselves under incorrect of just too many differnet categories.
For example Navigation have over 300 extensions to browse through, Search Tools 200, Miscellaneous almost 500, and with many of them not related or also listed under 3-4 (or sometimes all) other categories as well.

Some bad examples below but first a couple things that could be done to make the addons page more usable.

# Add a "report bad listing" link under "Add-on Details" on each extension's page where visitors can report an extension that's listed in the wrong category or has a description that says nothing about what the extension does etc.

# Allow each extension to only be listed under only one single category. (or perhaps maximum 3?)

# Have the addons.mozilla extension reviewers select the categories instead (use what the ext.developer enters on the "submit extension" page only as a suggestion).

# Add a description for what type of extensions fits into each category on the "submit extension" page (perhaps next to a checkbox for category the developer wants it listed under?). 

Particularly extensions that only integrate with one specific website which only a few people would use are spread out over all the categories (not just Website Integration where they should be) and make up most of the "spam" browsing the addons page.


Some bad examples from the first 3 pages (out of 20) with Search extensions:
--------------------------------------
transportbg.info Toolbar 1.0.3
Find your transport route from time table in Bulgaria with http://www.transportbg.info search toolbar.

tektek GaiaOnline Toolbar 1.5.20060201
A toolbar to speed up browsing or to assist members on GaiaOnline.

The RuneHQ Browser Bar 2.1
Use for quick access to the RuneHQ Site from your browser!

Bookmark Duplicate Detector 0.4.0

Bollywood Mantra Sidebar 0.1.2
--------------------------------------


More bad ones - incorrect categories marked with ?
--------------------------------------
tektek GaiaOnline Toolbar
A toolbar to speed up browsing or to assist members on GaiaOnline.
?   * Bookmarks
?   * Contacts
?   * Editing and Forms
?   * Message Reading
?   * Miscellaneous
?   * Navigation
?   * Search Tools
?   * Tabbed Browsing
?   * Web Annoyances
    * Website Integration
--------------------------------------
Slashdotter 
?   * Developer Tools
?   * Editing and Forms
?   * Entertainment
?   * Miscellaneous
?   * Navigation
?   * News Reading
?   * Tabbed Browsing
?   * Web Annoyances
    * Website Integration
--------------------------------------
Encyclopedia Poundexika Toolbar
The Encyclopedia Poundexika Toolbar!
?   * Humor
?   * Miscellaneous
?   * Navigation
?   * Search Tools
?   * Website Integration
(no idea what this one does - page at homepage link says "Encyclopedia Poundexika. Back in a Moment" ...)
--------------------------------------
Bork Bork Bork! 1.2
View web pages or mail as spoken by the Swedish Chef 
    * Humor
?   * Message Reading
?   * Web Annoyances
--------------------------------------
Dictionary Tooltip
?   * Entertainment
?   * Kiosk Browsing
?   * Languages
    * Miscellaneous
?   * Navigation
    * Search Tools
--------------------------------------
Full Screen Homestar Runner
Make all of homestarrunner.com cartoons fill your browser window.
?   * Entertainment
?   * Humor
?   * Navigation
?   * Web Annoyances
    * Website Integration
--------------------------------------
Gmail Space
    * Download Tools
?   * Entertainment
?   * Image Browsing
?   * Kiosk Browsing
    * Miscellaneous
?   * Web Annoyances
    * XUL Applications
--------------------------------------
Split Link
?   * Image Browsing
?   * Miscellaneous
?   * Navigation
    * Privacy and Security
?   * Tabbed Browsing
    * Web Annoyances
--------------------------------------
Leet Key 1.3.1
listed under: Blogging, Entertainment, Humor, Message Reading, Miscellaneous,
News Reading, Privacy and Security, Web Annoyances
--------------------------------------
QuickChat
allow you to chat about anything on any website with the users that are actively browsing that site.
listed under: Blogging, Contacts, Download Tools, Editing and Forms, Entertainment, Humor, Image Browsing, Kiosk Browsing, Message Reading, Miscellaneous, Navigation, News Reading, Search Tools, Tabbed Browsing, Website Integration, XUL Applications
--------------------------------------


Reproducible: Always

Comment 1

[Cameron]

Confirming. I don't like this either.

Comment 2

[Justin Scott [:fligtar]]

Would we be in favor of adding a 5 category limit in the multi-select box? For existing offenders, this would not take effect until the extension is updated, but is certainly better than nothing.

Comment 3

[Justin Scott [:fligtar]]

In Remora (AMO v3), there is a limit of 5 categories.

Comment 4

[Justin Scott [:fligtar]]

*** Bug 356279 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***