[Wikipedia-l] Recent changes page

[Ray Saintonge]

lcrocker at nupedia.com wrote:

>It was a guiding principle of my new design that it be *fast*.  I 
>think the performance of this page is critical to usability.  Speed 
>is a feature too.  So if you're going to suggest features, make sure 
>they are either (1) not hindrances to performance, or (2) really, 
>truly, vitally necessary.
>
>1) If you wan't 1000, 2500, or more changes, you can do that by 
>editing the URL directly.  They are removed as links from the page so 
>that robots won't spider them, putting a load on the server.  The 
>occasional human use shouldn't be a problem.  If enough people 
>complain, I might consider putting 1000 back, though the need for it 
>might be supplanted by other features mentioned below.
>
>Any other desired feature that limits the set of pages returned is 
>also likely to get a favorable hearing.
>
I was quick to read how more than 500 pages could be listed when higher 
number page links were removed from the Recent Changes page, but I 
didn't need this feature as much with the old system as with the new.  I 
suppose some people would like to track all the multiple changes on 
Recent Pages, and I know that when I reread some of my own work it often 
needs changes, but making them kills the explanatory note that went with 
my substantive changes.

What I really miss is not being able to use the back button to get back 
to where I was.  It now forces a reload whenever I do so.  I've noticed 
it most with Recent Changes, but I've also had it come up while editing 
a page.  My habit has been to use search to go to verify a page name 
when I'm trying to create a link from the page I'm editing.  Now when I 
back-button from the search results I get a brand new edit page with my 
partial edits deleted.

Simply being able to alter personal preferences to choose between a 
reload or personal cache when using the back and forward buttons would 
be a great advantage.

    Eclecticology