We're pleased to announce Beta Features https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/About_Beta_Features (1), a new program that lets you test new features on Wikipedia and other Wikimedia sites before they are released for everyone.
Think of it as a digital laboratory where community members can preview upcoming software and give feedback to help improve them. This special preference page lets designers and engineers experiment with new features on a broad scale, but not in a disruptive manner.
Beta Features is released on all wikis worldwide on November 7, 2013. You can test it now on MediaWiki.org http://MediaWiki.org/ and on TestWiki.
Here are the first features you can test this week: * Media Viewer https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Multimedia/About_Media_Viewer -- view images in large size or full screen. (2)
* VisualEditor Formulæ https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/VisualEditor/Beta_Features/Formulae -- edit algebra or equations on your pages. (3) This feature is yet to work for Indic. You may test on English Wiki
* Typography Refresh https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Typography_Update -- make text more readable and consistent. (4)
Would you like to try out BetaFeatures now? After you log in here on MediaWiki.org https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:Preferences#mw-prefsection-betafeatu res (5), a small 'Beta' link will appear next to your 'Preferences': click on it to see features you can test, check the ones you want, then click 'Save'. Learn more here https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/About_Beta_Features (1)
After you've tested Beta Features, please let developers know what you think on https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Talk:About_Beta_Features this discussion page (6) -- or report any bugs here on Bugzilla https://bugzilla.wikimedia.org/enter_bug.cgi?product=MediaWiki%20extensions &component=BetaFeatures (7).
Beta Features was developed by the Wikimedia Foundation's Design, Multimedia and VisualEditor teams. Along with other developers, they will be adding new features to this experimental program every few weeks.
Enjoy, and don't forget to let us know what you think!
Pavanaja https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Pavanaja
(1) https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/About_Beta_Features
(2) https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Multimedia/About_Media_Viewer
(3) https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/VisualEditor/Beta_Features/Formulae
(4) https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Typography_Update
(5) https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:Preferences#mw-prefsection-betafeatur es
(6) https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Talk:About_Beta_Features
(7) https://bugzilla.wikimedia.org/enter_bug.cgi?product=MediaWiki%20extensions https://bugzilla.wikimedia.org/enter_bug.cgi?product=MediaWiki%20extensions &component=BetaFeatures &component=BetaFeatures
Thanks and regards,
Pavanaja
U.B. Pavanaja, MSc, PhD
Programme Officer http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Pavanaja Indian languages,
Access to Knowledge program
The Centre for Internet & Society