FCK editor as part of FCKeditor module

FCKeditor has a separate release schedule, so we chose to have users download it themselves. I think download size is of secondary importance, but it is true that FCKeditor is quite large. But including this in the release bundle might be a good idea, as we can notify users of new versions through the Drupal update system.

For what it's worth (currently trading at .2 cents on the dollar), I think including FCKeditor with the module is a mistake. In fact, I think the way it is recommended in the documentation is a mistake as well (adding FCKeditor into the fckeditor directory of the module).

Why not adopt the approach that WYSIWYG takes: recommend creating a 'libraries' directory in 'sites/all/' and put the editor there? That way you are assured that there are no accidental deleted files when updating the module or the editor. And it makes updating (and installing) much more intuitive. No new functionality is needed - just an update to the documentation (and a note on the Global Profile config page suggesting that path).

That said, the development of this module is very much appreciated. I tried to replace it with WYSIWYG, but I didn't like the lack of control I had. And several FCKeditor-specific functions didn't work. So thanks :)

There is already a feature request for the libraries API. We will consider this for a next version, but we did not want to change the installation procedure at a late stage in the development of 6.x-2.x. As you note, you can make this change yourself in the administrative section already, but it's not yet the default way.