On Thu, 2002-11-14 at 10:40, Jimmy Wales wrote:
The Cunctator wrote:
As you can see at http://meta.wikipedia.org/wiki/TMC%27s_sysop_request I basically agree, but I'll ask you to consider a more scalable resolution; that is, have the Recent Changes etc. display the nickname only, and enforce innocuousness of the nickname.
Is the nickname actually in the database? (Forgive my cluelessness on this point.) Or is the nickname just whatever someone happens to write?
An optional nickname can be set in the user preferences (so it's stored in the chunk o' options in the user table, but not in a conveniently accessible fashion). Its sole purpose is to appear as the text of a user page link in ~~~-signings in talk pages.
Showing the nickname *everywhere* would make the independent existence of the username both pointless and confusing.
-- brion vibber (brion @ pobox.com)