Copying over my post from the suggestion thread for code review. We could really do with a plugin management system in the core.
6 years after this thread was started the wordpress system is absolutely amazing.
It works great for both free and commercial plugins.
Here's a screen shot of one of my WP sites, with plugins at a variety of states, highlighted and explained.
Single click update actions the add on install:
And confirmation, all without leaving or reloading the page. I can initiate the update of 10 plugins with 10 clicks in 10 seconds this way.
Viewing the details of any plugin gives you an onsite modal with access to a ton of info, including reviews, documentation, changelogs, screenshots and links to appropriate resources:
On the first image, note the WP Rocket plugin. That's a great example of a paid plugin, where my licence has expired but there are updates available. It reminds me every time I check this page and links me off to where I can buy it. But it still lets me monitor the installed version, and access the changelogs so I can see if there's anything in each new update to see if there's anything that will encourage me to pay to upgrade.
Also, the ability to search the plugins from within the control panel on your own site is brilliant.
All the search results are designed in a way to display plugins in a format suitable for actually browsing plugins, instead of relying on the same search designed for threads, on a forum on an external site. Complete with one click install.