David Gerard wrote:
2009/1/15 Neil Harris:
The last time we tried something like this, it degenerated into a massive discussion of which ratings parameters and rating methodology should be used[1], and nothing ever happened.
Yes, but that was a side issue - the reason it didn't happen was that Brion didn't like the extension to implement it so it fell by the wayside.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it:
- get Brion and Tim to agree that this is something they wouldn't
actually be horrified to put on the site if it passed technical muster and the community were going "hell yes" loud enough.
- get the community support in place.
- write something for MediaWiki that does this but that Brion and Tim
would be willing to put on the live servers.
Brion and Tim are reasonable people, and from the technical side are likely open to solid arguments that the idea won't cause the system to crash or will be reversible if the idea doesn't accomplish its objectives.
Community support is a different matter. A no-brainer like flagged versions has been under discussion for nearly three years, but the opponents have developed a huge vocal fan club. I wouldn't want to give that crowd any more respect than they deserve.
Parameters and methodology are details that can be adjusted after we have more experience with a system. It can be extremely difficult to widen the perspective of those who are focused on a narrow subset of the issues. Preconceptions are not a valid substitute for hypothesis testing.
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