On Thu, Apr 09, 2009 at 09:59:25PM +0200, Max Spevack wrote:
I don't like the Archive/Delete processes that we have, and here
is why,
and how I think it should be changed.
The cost of creating a wiki page should be very low. This encourages
collaboration, and it encourages people to try to write down crazy ideas
that may or may not work.
The ability to delete a wiki page is not easy. I can't find it now, but
a while back I saw a bunch of requirements that a page had to meet in
order to be "deleted" and otherwise it can only be "archived".
I submit to you that a process like that discourages people from ever
moving a page to the Archive namespace, because they no longer have
control over its final fate. If I create a page in my own personal
namespace and want that page to be deleted, as I understand it right now
I can't do that all by myself. That's wrong.
I guess I see the world as black and white. Either a page is useful, or
it is not. Why would you want to keep an archived copy of a useless or
outdated page sitting around? What if the owner of that page would
simply prefer that the page cease to exist? Why is it better for Fedora
to have a big pile of abandoned pages sitting around, rather than simply
purge them and move on?
Something like Archive: allows you to have a window of time to take a
look at what might end up being deleted -- as a sanity check -- but I
think that after a page has been in Archive for a week or 2 weeks,
anyone should be able to make that page go away.
Anyone should be able to trivially get a list of all pages that have
been in Archive: for X amount of time, look at them, and then delete
them if they think they should be deleted.
Users without the 'delete' right can't delete any pages in MediaWiki,
and users with it can delete all pages (even the Main Page[1]). This
can't be specific to the areas you defined.
Currently, any pages within the user namespace can be deleted at the
user's request if they file a ticket or ask me. This is current
policy[2]. The other purpose, which I read as "anything in Archive: can
be tagged for deletion and if nobody removes it after two weeks it can
be blown to pieces", is a good idea (I think). I'd like to see
discussion on it though. Pages can be undeleted as well if it was a
mistake (see footnote [1] again).
And if I'm reading any of this wrong, tell me. I'll also bring this up
to vote at the next FDSCo meeting and see if we have consensus -- it
sounds perfectly sane to me. Discussion on this list is encouraged.
[1]:
https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/WW:DDMP
[2]:
https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/FedoraProject:Deletion
--
Ian Weller <ianweller(a)gmail.com>
GnuPG fingerprint: E51E 0517 7A92 70A2 4226 B050 87ED 7C97 EFA8 4A36