On 2/4/06, Philip Welch <wikipedia(a)philwelch.net> wrote:
[But to reply
to your metaphor: I certainly hope you're not
intending
to compare Microsoft software favorably to Wikipedia contributions.
I'd rather, if we were to use this analogy, strive for something
like
Linux, BSD, or OS X where massive gaping security flaws aren't
inherent in the system.]
Massive gaping security flaws aren't inherent in Wikipedia in regards
to preventing vandalism? That's news to me.
It's not a bug, it's a feature!
Oh, I agree that it's a necessary trade-off, but it's still what it is.
Eh. I guess I don't see it as a security flaw. We should definitely
continue to try to think about how to improve the system in as
invisible ways as possible.
For example, one change that would be effectively invisible but would
discourage vandalism would be to require summaries for all non-minor
edits, which should happen anyway.
That's just one idea off the top of my head. More complex and
ingenious methods, I'm sure, could be thought of.
I do think that it should be considered a community norm for everyone
to do some kind of policing of incoming edits; I can think of any
number of mechanisms for enforcing that norm.