Geesh - I guess I know how to wake up a list that had seemed to have gone on vacation! =8^o

From: Bill Curnow Subject: Re: Is MediaWiki-l dysfunctional? What is it good for, really?

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Peter Blaise wrote: Why not setup a real ***wiki*** discussion right at the MediaWiki.org home pages, and encourage the MediaWiki software to actually mature to handle such support needs as ours, instead of using an old-fashioned mailing list like this?

Agreed! For the amount I'm paying MediaWiki for this support contract they darned-well need to start providing sufficient, modern support. Why this isn't being handled by a voice-activated phone system, or a live-chat system, is beyond me.

Spare us, please. MediaWiki can't provide support because your employer awarded a patent for technical support to Microsoft.

Hi Bill,

I WISH I could remove the P in USPTO. WE (Patents and Trademarks) are both under the Department of Commerce, but we have NOTHING in common and do not work for or with each other, and we are responsible for registering completely different and unrelated intellectual properties. I'm appalled at the 3-year backlog at Patents and the surprising decisions that come even after that long wait (by the way, what Microsoft patent prohibits MediaWiki from documenting MediaWiki installations on Microsoft operating systems?), but hey, USPTO is not my "office"! True, Trademarks has also had it's bonehead moments, like registering Microsoft "Windows" when "windows" was already used generically. Shame on us. I have no control over my email address as tendered: @uspto.gov. Maybe I should use an outside email and have it forwarded - that might stop inaccurate sniping.

Now, accurate sniping? I'm all for that! ;-)

Regarding MediaWiki, I think you are joking about a service contract with them. Regardless, you miss my point. My point is that no MediaWiki installer has "wiki'd" their specific and total experience building their MediaWiki ON MediaWiki! I'm not mad at anyONE, I'm mad at EVERYone! =8^o I will share my success ... when I have some to share. Until then, I'm asking questions and wondering why others are sharing everything BUT their own specific install checklist ... somewhere!

In that vein, Bill, what is YOUR successful install checklist, and have you shared it anywhere?

Thanks!

Hence, my questions: Is MediaWiki-l dysfunctional? What is it good for, really?

How do we use MediaWiki-l?

To snipe at each other?

Or ... to groom our eventual contributions to MediaWiki documentation on MediaWiki.org?

- Peter Blaise