---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Adam Baso <abaso(a)wikimedia.org>
Date: Wed, Mar 22, 2023 at 4:45 AM
Subject: Service Decommission Notice: Mobile Content Service - July 2023
To: Wikimedia developers <wikitech-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org>
TL;DR: The legacy Mobile Content Service is going away in July 2023. Please
switch to Parsoid or another API before then to ensure service continuity.
Hello World,
I'm writing about a service decommission we hope to complete mid-July 2023.
The service to be decommissioned is the legacy Mobile Content Service
("MCS"), which is maintained by the Wikimedia Foundation's Content
Transform Team. We will be marking this service as deprecated soon.
We hope that with this notice, people will have ample time to update their
systems for use of other endpoints such as Parsoid [1] (n.b., MCS uses
Parsoid HTML).
The MCS endpoints are the ones with the relative URL path pattern
/page/mobile-sections* on the Wikipedias. For examples of the URLs see the
"Mobile" section on the online Swagger (OpenAPI) specification
documentation with matching URLs here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/api/rest_v1/#/Mobile
== History ==
The Mobile Content Service ("MCS") is the historical aggregate service that
originally provided support for the article reading experience on the
Wikipedia for Android native app, as well as some other experiences. We
have noticed that there are other users of the service. We are not able to
determine all of the users, as it's hard to tell with confidence from the
web logs.
The Wikimedia Foundation had already transitioned the Wikipedia for
Android and iOS apps to the newer Page Content Service ("PCS") several
years ago. PCS has some similarities with MCS in terms of its mobility
focus, but it also has different request-response signatures in practice.
PCS, as with MCS, is intended to primarily satisfy Wikimedia
Foundation-maintained user experiences only, and so this is classified with
the "unstable" moniker.
== Looking ahead ==
Generally, as noted in the lead, we recommend that folks who use MCS (or
PCS, for that matter) switch over to Parsoid for accessing Wikipedia
article content programmatically for the most predictable service.
The HTML produced by Parsoid has a versioned specification [2] and because
Parsoid is accessed regularly by a number of components across the globe
tends to have fairly well cached responses. However, please note that
Parsoid may be subject to stricter rate limits that can apply under certain
traffic patterns.
At this point, I do also want to note that in order to keep up with
contemporary HTML standards, particularly those favoring accessibility and
machine readability enhancements, Parsoid HTML will undergo change as we
further converge parsing stacks [3]. Generally, you should expect iteration
on the Parsoid HTML spec, and of course as you may have come to appreciate
that the shape of HTML in practice can vary nontrivially wiki-by-wiki as
practices across wikis vary.
You may also want to consider Wikimedia Enterprise API options, which range
from no cost to higher volume access paid options.
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Enterprise#Access
== Forking okay, but not recommended ==
Because MCS acts as a service aggregate and makes multiple backend API
calls, caveats can apply for those subresources - possibility of API
changes, deprecation, and the like. We do not recommend a plain fork of MCS
code because of the subresource fetch behavior. This said, of course you
are welcome to fork in a way compatible with MCS's license.
== Help spread the word ==
Although we are aware of the top two remaining consumers of MCS, we also
are not sure who else is accessing MCS and anticipate that some downstream
tech may break when MCS is turned off. As we are cross-posting this
message, we hope most people who have come to rely upon MCS will see this
message. Please feel free to forward this message to contacts if you know
they are using MCS.
== Help ==
Although we intend to decommission MCS in July 2023, we would like to share
resources if you need some help. We plan to hold office hours in case you
would like to meet with us to discuss this or other Content Transform Team
matters. We will host these events on Google Meet. We will provide notice
of these office hours on the wikitech-l mailing list in the coming weeks
and months.
Additionally, if you would like to discuss your MCS transition plans,
please visit the Content Transform Team talk page:
https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Talk:Content_Transform_Team
Finally, some Content Transform Team members will also be at the Wikimedia
Hackathon [4] if you would like some in-person support.
Thank you.
Adam Baso (he/him/his/Adam), on behalf of the Content Transform Team
Director of Engineering
Wikimedia Foundation
[1] https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Parsoid
[2] https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Specs/HTML
[3] https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Parsoid/Parser_Unification/Updates
[4] https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Hackathon_2023
Hello all,
The Android team
<https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Apps/Team/Android> has heard many
requests from the community to have ways to ensure that the edits made in
the apps are of good quality. With the team's recent release
<https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Apps/Team/Android/Communication>
of a native watchlist, contribution history, and edit history, as well as
the addition of the undo and rollback button on the diff screen, there is
an opportunity to create a moderating solution in the app. We would like to
do this in partnership with the community. We would like to invite you to
test the first iteration of the patrolling tool designs. Your input at this
stage will allow us to improve the tool before development as well as
gather important feedback for the second iteration of the tool.
If you are interested in joining, please reply to this email.
Respectfully,
*Amal Ramadan* (She\Her)
Sr. Community Relations Specialist
Wikimedia Foundation <https://wikimediafoundation.org/>
Cross posting the announcement about office hour for the mobile apps. Find more details below.
-------- Original Message --------
From: Amal Ramadan <aramadan(a)wikimedia.org>
Sent: 7 March 2023 2:52:03 pm IST
To: wikitech-ambassadors(a)lists.wikimedia.org
Subject: [Wikitech-ambassadors] App's Office Hour - 2023
Hey all,
I would like to invite you to the first office hour for the mobile apps
team in 2023.
It will take place on the 24th of March at 5 pm UTC.
You can check your zone’s exact time through this zone stamp
<https://zonestamp.toolforge.org/1679677247>.
The host will be Jazmin Tanner, Sr. Product Manager of the apps team, with
a number of our software engineers.
You can join at the mentioned time through this link:
https://meet.google.com/aww-miri-kik.
And the meeting will be recorded.
You can add your questions and thoughts about Wikipedia’s mobile apps here
<https://docs.google.com/document/d/10xejqvocsr3suSmGkwpEcMiGsFSed1AqU9ES9vd…>,
and the last date to add your input will be on the 20th of march at 12:00
UTC; feel free to spread the word about the office hour to your communities.
We will be waiting for you all!
Respectfully,
*Amal Ramadan* (She\Her)
Sr. Community Relations Specialist
Wikimedia Foundation <https://wikimediafoundation.org/>
--
Sivaraam
Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity.
Hi all,
Hope you have been well! We have just released v4.0 of the Commons Android
app to production on Google Play - this version includes tons of new
features (a map displaying nearby Commons pictures, custom SPARQL queries,
user profiles, and a custom picture selector), as well as fixes for major
bugs such as the "date uploaded" bug. The app can be downloaded from the
Play Store[1] or directly from our GitHub repository[2].
I should probably also add that this will likely be my last release - I am
currently transitioning to a new career, and will be stepping down from the
role of project lead, which I have held for the past 6 years. I intend to
stick around on a volunteer basis, but the amount of time that I can put
into the app from now on will be much more limited. I have discussed this
with the app's community, and I believe that a new grant team might be
emerging, and one of the volunteers might step up to take on the project
lead role.
Thank you very much for the support that you have all shown to the Commons
app over the years. It was an honor and a pleasure to work with all of you
- I have learned so much and met so many amazing people in the Wikimedia
community, and I certainly hope to continue being part of it. I also hope
that the app and the community surrounding it may have benefited from my
work here, and that the new team will be able to bring it to places that I
might not have ever foreseen.
Best regards,
Josephine (User: Misaochan)
[1] https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=fr.free.nrw.commons
[2] https://github.com/commons-app/apps-android-commons/releases
Hi!
Does Anyone know of a generic MediaWiki editing app?
(one that could be used by any MediaWiki instance)
Was there any effort in that direction at any point?
Best Z. Blace
Hi there,
If this isn't the best place to ask this question, please let me know.
I used to enjoy the Wikipedia app's functionality for finding articles by
location. It was good for exploring interesting places near and far and
learning about what was there.
That feature seems to have been dropped, so I made my own FOSS app,
available here: https://github.com/matthew-matvei/wikiscape
It's very basic but it's enough for my own personal use. *I wanted to know
if there was any interest in Wikimedia to bring some attention to the
project, initially with developers and then users.* If there is, I'd be
happy developing it further to support more advanced features; if there
isn't, then I would leave it where it is, which would be a shame since I
can't help but think I'm not the only one who misses the simple 'Map'
functionality in the old Wikipedia app.
I've checked out the seemingly similar Wikivoyage, but found that it
doesn't aim to provide the same functionality of exploring wikipedia
content using map-based location that Wikiscape would serve to provide.
Please let me know if there's any interest.
Kind regards,
Matthew James
Hi everyone,
The Android team has recently released watchlists, talk pages, and an image
recommendations experiment. To make sure we hear from editors we don't
normally hear from
<https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Apps/Team/Android/Communication/Us…>
in the software development process, and who might have needs and use cases
we miss, we also specifically reached out to a list of communities,
regions, and types of users.
We were fortunate enough to also get some feedback from Indonesian
Wikipedia editors, Arabic editors in Morocco, and an English Wikipedia
editor based in Nigeria. The outcomes of our respondents' qualitative
feedback
<https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Apps/Team/Android/Communication/Us…>,
coupled with previous feedback from the community and members of staff,
along with an ABC test <https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T290995> we are
finishing up, has resulted in us finalizing the changes we are making in
the app to ensure communication is not lost for our users.
Our most recent release
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.wikipedia> now ensures
users can see their notifications in-app no matter what screen they are on,
including while reading an article, something that was highly requested
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Mobile_communication_bugs>.
Before After
As we wrap up our work on notifications, we will shift from ensuring every
user that edits on the Android app can clearly see the notifications and
alerts they've received to ensuring the workflows for sending a
communication are as intuitive as possible for mobile devices. We already
have native user and article talk pages in the app. We will now conduct
research to see what gaps exist for our users, and introduce new (to us)
concepts like quick reactions; please check out this demo
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-xQSCREGic> to see our ideas so far.
We hope you will engage with us and tell us any thoughts you have regarding
promoting communication in our movement through the use of our tools. We
also encourage you to send more users our way that meet the demographics we
requested for notifications. Feel free to reach out to our team
<https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Apps/Team>, or comment on our
team's communications project talk page
<https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Talk:Wikimedia_Apps/Team/Android/Communicati…>
.
PS: If you're an iOS user, they're also working on some great things
<https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Apps/Team/iOS/Notifications#Septem…>
related to communications.
Cheers,
--
Dmitry Brant
Lead Software Engineer (Android)
Wikimedia Foundation
https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_mobile_engineering
Hi folks,
Hope you are all safe and well. We have just released v3.1.0 of the Commons
app for beta testing last week, containing basic integration for Wiki Loves
Monuments uploads!
You can find more details about our implementation (and the challenges that
we faced) at
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Mobile_app/WLM_release , but the
summary is that WLM pins have been added to our Nearby map, for WLM
monuments. From now until 30 September, people can upload photos of
monuments through this map, and if their country is participating in WLM
2021, the relevant template will be added to these uploads.
Please do help us test this beta version if you can - we hope to release to
production early next week so all users can access it. :)
Many thanks!
Best regards,
Josephine
Hi everyone,
We're excited to present our latest release of the Wikipedia Android app
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.wikipedia>, available
now on the Google Play Store (or as a standalone download
<https://releases.wikimedia.org/mobile/android/wikipedia/stable/wikipedia-2.…>
for devices without Google). Here are the major highlights from this update:
* *Watchlists*: Your watchlist is now accessible from the main screen when
you are logged in. Tap the "More" menu at the bottom and select
"Watchlist." If you have multiple languages selected in the app, the
Watchlist screen will merge your watchlists from those language wikis. You
can also choose which languages to show by tapping the language icon in the
toolbar at the top. Tap any of the items in your watchlist to see a
detailed diff screen for the selected change. And of course, to add any
article you're currently reading to your watchlist, tap the top-right menu
in the toolbar, and select "Add to watchlist."
* *Talk pages*: Article talk pages and User talk pages are now presented
natively. When reading an article, the corresponding talk page is
accessible by scrolling to the bottom and selecting "View talk page." User
talk pages can be accessed from various places where user interactions
might occur, including your watchlist, various push notifications (e.g.
messages left by other users on your talk page), and other users' and
article talk pages.
In addition to these major updates, this release has plenty of bug fixes,
design refinements, and performance optimizations. Check it out, and as
always, we welcome your feedback!
*Special note*: This release is dedicated to the memory of our late
colleague and friend Bernd Sitzmann, a brilliant developer and a wonderful
person, without whom the app wouldn't be what it is today. He will be
missed.
Cheers,
--
Dmitry Brant
Lead Software Engineer (Android)
Wikimedia Foundation
https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_mobile_engineering
Hello,
(Apologies for cross-posting!)
The Community Resources team is inviting you to an exciting opportunity to
be a committee member as part of the grants programs' participatory
grantmaking practice.
Participatory grantmaking ensures that resourcing community efforts in the
movement is diverse, equal and inclusive. This practice aligns with
movement strategy recommendation 4. Ensure Equity in Decision-making:
Establishing shared responsibility and accountability for decision-making
and distribution of resources.
Serving committee members will have the opportunity to inform and advise
funding decisions and proactively share recommendations and mentorship to
support grantees worldwide in their development, growth, and sustainability
strategies; that contribute to a world in which every single human being
can freely share in the sum of all knowledge.
You will also strengthen your capacity in participatory decision-making
processes while learning about our community's incredible work and the
different contexts that influence their work.
Here is statement by current committee member, Thepwnco, on their
experience;
My experiences with Wikimedia Foundation grant programs have been very
rewarding and I feel so fortunate to have served as a volunteer committee
member since 2014. Grant programs contribute to equity and sustainability
in our movement through funding unmet and under-resourced needs. Under our
participatory approach to grantmaking, volunteers play a key role in
decision-making. Volunteers also help support and strengthen community-led
initiatives by reviewing grant proposals for impact and providing feedback
and other support to prospective grantees. But being a volunteer committee
member is much more than just a way to share your knowledge and insights,
it’s also an incredible opportunity to learn and be inspired by the breadth
of amazing and innovative work taking place across the movement and in
diverse communities and regions.
Here are the committees that are currently soliciting new members:
* Project Grants: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project
** Project Grants Committee reviewing Community Organizing proposals: This
committee reviews proposals for projects that inspire and coordinate
volunteers, via campaigns, training, contests and other forms of community
organizing. You can learn more about Project Grants here:
** Project Grants Committee reviewing Research and Software proposals: This
committee reviews proposals for projects that create or maintain software
that supports the Wikimedia movement, or that conduct research to answer
questions important for Wikimedia communities and projects.
* Simple Annual Plan Grants:
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Simple/About
** Simple APG Committee: This committee reviews proposals to fund a group
or organization's programs and operating expenses for 12 months. The groups
and organizations need to already have experience managing programs and
grant funding.
Orientation and training is provided for new members and you don’t have to
have previous experience to sign up.
Committee responsibilities include:
* Providing review and constructive feedback to help support applicants and
strengthen grant proposals
* Evaluating and recommending promising proposals for funding
* Helping recruit and spread the word about grants
* Optional: Becoming a project advisor for proposals that interest you
Eligibility requirements for committee members can be found here:
* Project Grants :
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project/Committee/Eligibility#commit…
* Simple APG: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Simple/Committee
You can sign up as a candidate for a committee here:
* https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project/Committee/Candidates
* https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Simple/Committee/Candidates
Deadlines for submitting committee candidacy:
* Project Grants Committee reviewing Community Organizing proposals --
February 5, 2020
* Project Grants Committee reviewing Research and Software proposals --
March 5, 2020
* Simple APG Committee -- February 5, 2020
Please reach out to projectgrants(a)wikimedia.org for questions on the
Project Grants Committee and simple(a)wikimedia.org for questions on the
Simple APG Committee.
Warm regards,
Veronica Thamaini, Program Officer for Simple APG
Marti Johnson, Program Officer for Project Grants
Chris Schilling, Program Officer for Rapid Grants
*Chris Schilling* (him/his/they/their)
User:I JethroBT (WMF)
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:I_JethroBT_(WMF)>
Senior Program Officer, Wikimedia Foundation Grants
Wikimedia Foundation <https://wikimediafoundation.org/>