Should be disabled by default

[csuhta]

I was surprised to learn that this is a default package, and that it's on by default. Users should have to opt-in to activity tracking, instead of opt-out. Not cool, and borderline creepy.

[probablycorey]

Tracking can be super creepy, we totally agree. That's why we want to be completely transparent about what we are tracking, to show people that what we are collecting is totally non-creepy:

• When Atom launches it shows this file describing that it is tracking metrics.
• The package can be disabled via the settings pane if the user doesn't want metrics to be sent.
• The code collecting data is free, open source and visible on the metrics package repo.
• No data about filenames or file contents is sent.

One of the main purposes of the Atom Beta is to gather feedback about how to make Atom better. The metrics package does this by sending generic metrics like the version number, load time, session length, and a count of how many times a user opens a new pane item. This data is extremely helpful to spot problems early and to figure out how to make the user experience better, which is why we have it on by default during the beta.

If there is anything else you think we can do to make it more clear feel free to open a pull request!

[bronson]

This data is extremely helpful to spot problems early and to figure out how to make the user experience better, which is why we have it on by default during the beta.

@probablycorey, now that Atom is out of beta and running great, is it time to revisit data collection?

[probablycorey]

@bronson I don't work on Atom anymore, so I don't have a good answer for you. Sorry.

[bronson]

Speaking purely selfishly, I'm sorry to hear you're no longer on Atom. Thanks for the response!