[CJefferson]

Users who don't understand it, disable it either accidentally, or based in bad advice, then don't know why Netflix doesn't work, probably in 2 years time when they long since forgot editing it.

As the years go by, I learn every config option is going to lead to some set of users getting confused and upset.

[drinkjuice]

So some parties pushing hard for DRM has nothing to do with it, whatsoever? It's all about preemptively avoiding horrible user pain and incredible customer support costs, correct? Then explain the million options left over in chrome://flags/ ?

Oh, snap. Looks like that explanation doesn't even begin to make sense, and it's hilarious how the "average user", in their absence, gets used as an excuse to implement outright hostile things, but only then. When Google Reader shuts down or other things are done nobody likes, which not one person welcomes, that doesn't matter, it's only when it's about things no user wants but companies want to push when they suddenly do.

The bug report mentions real problems caused by this change. Are there similar reports about problems that were caused by that option being available, or is that all just theoretical?

> As the years go by, I learn every config option is going to lead to some set of users getting confused and upset.

So? Remove all config options, or simply do good work and let the remaining complainers complain? Why not take the person who filed the bug report and is "confused and upset" for very good reasons they can argue for more seriously than some random hypothetical person?

[PhasmaFelis]

Then you put it somewhere that it can't be easily accessed by the unknowing. Which, IIRC, was already the case--there's no menu option for "chrome://plugins".

Making idiot-proofing your top design priority "for the user's own good" is a really bad idea that invariably results in a less functional product for no substantial benefit. If people are getting confused and messing with things they didn't mean to, the solution is better interface design, not axing useful features.