Which is better: shipping a buggy feature or not shipping the feature at all?

Question

this is a bit of a philosophical question. I am adding a small feature to my software which I assume will be used by most users but only maybe 10% of the times they use the software. In other words, the software has been fine without it for 3 months, but 4 or 5 users have asked for it, and I agree that it should be there.

The problem is that, due to limitations of the platform I'm working with (and possibly limitations of my brain), "the best I can do" still has some non-critical but noticeable bugs - let's say the feature as coded is usable but "a bit wonky" in some cases.

What to do? Is a feature that's 90% there really "better than nothing"? I know I'll get some bug reports which I won't be able to fix: what do I tell customers about those? Should I live with unanswered feature requests or unanswered bug reports?

Answer 1

Make sure people know, that you know, that there are problems. That there are bugs. And give them an easy way to proide feedback.

What about having a "closed beta" with the "4 or 5 users" who suggested the feature in the first place?

Answer 2

There will always be unanswered feature requests and bug reports. Ship it, but include a readme with "known issues" and workarounds when possible.