From: "Andries Krugers Dagneaux" andrieskd@chello.nl Subject: [WikiEN-l] Article size consistency 32k To: wikien-l@Wikipedia.org Message-ID: 000d01c55d72$fd9df690$3206a33e@oemcomputer Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
I notice that lately articles on the Featured article Candidates are often longer, sometimes almost twice, than the recommended size of 32k and nobody complains anymore about it.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Article_size for a full discussion.
It begins:
"Limits on article size are set by a) technical issues, and b) considerations of readability and organization.
In the past, technical considerations with some now-seldom-used browsers prompted a firm recommendation that articles be limited to a maximum size of precisely 32KB. With the advent of section editing, and the availability of upgrades for the affected browsers, this no longer applies. Thus, there is presently no firm policy dictating any precise limit on article length."
There is no law, so there is nothing to enforce. Article size is a matter of style, taste, and judgement and must be negotiated by consensus on each individual article.
If you think an article is too long, try to convince your colleagues (for example, by reminding them of how long it takes you to download the article, if that is an issue for you).
-- Daniel P. B. Smith, dpbsmith@verizon.net "Elinor Goulding Smith's Great Big Messy Book" is now back in print! Sample chapter at http://world.std.com/~dpbsmith/messy.html Buy it at http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1403314063/