Update plugin homepage to highlight the relationship of plugins to core napari

[seankmartin]

📚 New content request

In the napari quick start there is a sentence that reads: "napari is a fast, interactive, multi-dimensional image viewer, with a vibrant plugin ecosystem that expands its capability to tackle various domain-specific visualization and analysis needs". I think there could be a good opportunity in the plugin documentation homepage to highlight the role of plugins in adding domain-specific features to napari.

The current version of the homepage for plugins reads:

This proposed change aims to provide greater clarity about the functional scope that plugins might cover compared to features that might be more suited for core napari. Additionally, for new users of napari, this change could help manage expectations regarding core napari's offerings and guide them towards considering plugins for their specific needs.

Outline

I am suggesting a modification to the text along these lines (with emphasized changes):

Plugins are a powerful way to extend the functionality of napari and share these extensions with the community. Plugins facilitate the integration of domain-specific features into napari, while preserving napari as a versatile and domain-agnostic viewer at its core. Existing plugins address a diverse array of challenges, including image segmentation, support for new file formats during reading and writing, single-cell tracking, and animation creation within napari. While scripts and widgets can also be used to extend napari, plugins offer the most convenient method for publicly sharing additional features.

Check out the user focused content to guide you through installing and using napari plugins, or the developer focused content to start creating your own plugins for napari.

Note: I've also add a link for "scripts and widgets" to tutorials, open to thoughts on another place to link to.

Feedback

Please let me know what you think about this change and overall idea!

[psobolewskiPhD]

Might also be worth adding that plugins, as python packages, are easily (re)distributable.

[melissawm]

@seankmartin are you interested in pushing this forward? If not, would you mind if I picked it up? Thanks!

[seankmartin]

@melissawm thanks for asking and checking on this, I'd be delighted if you could pick this one up!