Hi folks,
based on the poll at https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Travel_Guide/Launch , Stefan's go-ahead, and the potential significant delays that we'd incur if we deferred [*], I'm going to be bold and I'm authorizing the launch this week as originally planned.
Here's what this will mean:
* Hans is preparing database dumps tonight. Any wiki will need to go into read-only mode the moment dumps are being kicked off, and will need to remain in read-only mode on the old server. WTS, SHARED, GENERAL and ASSOC are exempt from this as they'll not be migrated as-such. They can remain editable for purposes such as tagging content statuses.
* We're still waiting for the registrar of wikivoyage.org to finalize the transfer. We've aimed to accelerate this process as much as possible, but to some extent it's ouside of our control. We hope that the transfer will be completed tomorrow. Worst case scenario is that the wikis under wikivoyage.org will be read-only for a few more days. (There are technical workarounds to access the new site if this happens, which we will post if needed.)
* Tomorrow and Wednesday we'll spend a lot of time debugging the imports and the new site functions. A lot of things will incrementally be fixed so don't be surprised if things are a bit bumpy at first.
* The site will be configured to use Commons as its media repository, so any files referenced from there will work. Other files will need to be uploaded either to Commons or to the local wiki under the non-free content policy.
* We'll run a sitenotice that explains that the site is in beta, how to access pages on the old server, and how to help report bugs and fix issues.
* wikivoyage-old.org WILL WORK to access the old sites for as long as needed.
It's going to be a bit of a bumpy ride, so please bear with us.
Thanks much for your understanding and support in getting the word out.
All best, Erik
[*] We'd have to either schedule a window into Hans' upcoming long travel through the US and Mexico, or ensure that we've got all the procedures reviewed and tested by Wikivoyage's other administrators. It would be possible, but I think most people really would like to see this project move forward without entering a long window of uncertainty.