There are two reasons this has to change. First, the current form is not at all accessible, and we want to fix a lot of accessibility bugs in 1.8. Second, the way these settings are currently stored in the database is so bizarre that I can't fix the bug I am working on unless I change it, and if I change it, I would like to simplify things. (You may be able to tell from the screenshot, that the bug I am working on is adding a separate setting for Overall Feedback.)
The functional change is that I want to get away from the column of check-boxes, and instead have a single setting for each type of thing. As far as I can see, the only sensible use of the existing settings is to hide a piece of information up to a certain point in time, then reveal it. It makes no sense to reveal the information for some time, then hide it later. Therefore, while the change reduces the available functionality, I think it does not reduce the useful functionality at all, and the benefit is simpler code.
Then there is the change in the user interface, from a grid of checkboxes to dropdowns, which is much better on accessibility grounds. The checkboxes did give you a nice overview of what the settings where. In the new interface, the best I could think of to replace that was the differently indented 1, 2, 3.
In summary:
- Does the (very minor) loss of functionality cause real problems for anyone?
- Can anyone think of a better user interface.