This is a poorly implemented old fashioned "word cloud". I think it could be entirely removed.
According to Hea 83 libraries are using this feauture. Maybe these questions would better be asked on the mailng list? libraries won't see the bug reports.
We aren't using it. But I agree, there may be some libraries who find it useful. I think it may be more useful for public libraries, and possibly school libraries, less so for academic and research libraries. If it's not causing a lot of difficulties, it may be worth leaving it in.
I think that we've had libraries use this. We also have quite a few libraries not reporting to HEA.
Actually, I think Gaetan is right about it being removed. If you look at ./opac/opac-tags_subject.pl and koha-tmpl/opac-tmpl/bootstrap/en/modules/opac-tags_subject.tt, you'll see this was originally designed as an experimental French feature. The opac-tags_subject.pl page just seems to be a neglected version of opac-tags.pl, which doesn't actually work as designed if you have user tagging turned on. It might be worthwhile to add removing OpacBrowser at the same time as OpacCloud since it also appears to be an experimental French-only feature according to ./misc/cronjobs/build_browser_and_cloud.pl and https://wiki.koha-community.org/wiki/Opac_browse_feature
I had a library recently want to use OpacBrowser but the system preference description is misleading. If we don't remove this functionality, I think we should change the system preference names and descriptions to reflect the actual functionality. Otherwise, I think people are just getting confused by this.
The word cloud / OpacCloud is a very convinient way to determine what a particular library is about, what topics it focuses on, literally at a glance. What do you propose to replace this functionality with? What is the modern counterpart of this "old fashioned" feature? Same goes for OpacBrowser, since it presents the subject tree to the visitor in a convenient way. I agree that they may be "poorly implemented", need to cater for more languages, honor classification version, bypass items marked as hidden in OPAC, this however is cause for improvement, not removal.
Created attachment 134458 [details] What is the modern counterpart of this "old-fashioned" feature?