In the mean time we could have a ResourceLoader module for Vector that is generated (like the way we generate CSS modules for user preferences) and bundled with the existing vector CSS.

Since we want to evolve Vector, the visual elements that differ between deployment and default may change over time, but for now I would suggest that the blue lines are fairly distinctive and could perhaps be adjusted pretty easily for the main skin.

Perhaps we should come up with a general purpose theme parameters configuration or class or something to control the values.

- Trevor

On Wed, Jul 24, 2013 at 10:49 AM, Jon Robson <jrobson@wikimedia.org> wrote:

So.. what do we need to do, to do this?

On Wed, Jul 24, 2013 at 10:44 AM, Trevor Parscal <tparscal@wikimedia.org> wrote:
> I very much support Ori's proposal. We discussed it at length during the
> product retreat and I think we can easily avoid the pitfall Jarred is being
> cautious about by simply making a few configurable parameters for the skin
> default to one value, but be deployed on our sites using another.
>
> This also gives us the ability to adjust the branding of the theme between
> sites. Again - this would be subtle, but we know that people get confused as
> to which site they are on when navigating between WP and Commons for
> instance.
>
> Finally, these "configurations" could possibly later be adjusted by admins
> using a special page. Wordpress themes often allow key theme colors to be
> adjusted this way, and people actually do customize their themes quite
> often, further increasing the effective diversity of MediaWiki skins
> throughout the internet, helping to prevent our brand from being watered
> down as it to some degree today.
>
> - Trevor
>
> On Tue, Jul 23, 2013 at 6:55 PM, Ori Livneh <ori@wikimedia.org> wrote:
>>
>> On Tue, Jul 23, 2013 at 6:19 PM, Jared Zimmerman
>> <jzimmerman@wikimedia.org> wrote:
>>>
>>> I'm a little torn on this. If skins evolve within Wikipedia (and
>>> foundation projects) but not on mediawiki core I won't feel like we're
>>> putting out a good product.
>>
>>
>> I know what you mean, but what I'm calling for is really minimal: identify
>> a UI feature which that could be usable and attractive in two variants (like
>> two different shades of grey for the background of the Vector sidebar), and
>> choose one for the default for core, and the other for Wikipedia. You can
>> include the Wikipedia-specific style in core; just gate it with a
>> configuration variable. Most third-party MediaWiki instances aren't styled
>> the way they're styled because their administrators wanted to mimic
>> Wikipedia, but rather because they find the defaults sensible and useable
>> and didn't want to fuss with things. We should continue to provide defaults
>> that are sensible and usable, but we should pick one -- just one! -- and
>> make it sensible, usable, and slightly different.
>>
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