Hello all,
I just came back from a meeting with Denis Barthel. Denis is a long-time employee of Wikimedia Deutschland (WMDE) and works in the resort "Community". Denis was assigned to help to normalize the relationship between the Toolserver, WMDE and the Wikimedia Foundation (WMF); especially in the field of WikiLabs/Toollabs. His opinion is that if we all work together the move from the toolserver to Wikilabs can work. I still doubt that, but I agreed to give WMF a little more AGF (assume good faith). As you know the general meeting of WMDE decided that the WMF has to guarantee that the features of the toolserver exists in WikiLabs within 6 months (otherwise WMDE has to look for a way to continue the toolserver). Denis asked me to provide such a list of short-time-base. For this I will take our list [1] and convert the items into "needed features" (AFAIS most of the points are already features). When I am done with this I will send you the link and you all can add features I forgot. In the beginning of the new year WMDE will give WMF the list and then the 6 months start. WMDE (or WMDE together with WMF) plans to offer help for moving tools to WikiLabs in 2013 – during the 6 months and behind if WMF can provide all needed features. I rejected to help with that behind very basic actions (like answering questions by WMF-staff). So if you plan to move your stuff, please notice that I will not wait on the other side and catch you ;-). I also make it very clear that the only way to move a tool is by the author because you are the only persons who can adapt the code (the special case that another user plan to adopt an open-source-tool aside). To re-phrase it: I have no problem if somebody likes to move to WikiLabs now and I will help him or her as best as I can – but only on the toolserver-side. There will be no support by me (and I guess the same for Nosy) on the WikiLabs-side – there you have to work with the WMF-folks.
Just to let you known.
Sincerely, DaB.
P.S: Denis asked if there is a list of (important) tools. AFAIK we have none, but maybe we should find a way to build such a list in medium-term.
[1] http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Labs/Toolserver_features_wanted