Tom Parmenter tompar@world.std.com writes:
I'm not objecting to listing the languages. I'm objecting to listing them three times in ways that aren't identical and therefore convey, to my way of thinking, less information than one list would convey.
I'm asking: What is the advantage, if any, of listing 12 wikipedias at the top of the page, the same 12 wikipedias at the bottom, and 28 wikipedias in the middle of the page? That's what I mean by three handles on one door.
Yes, I understood you perfectly well and to some extent I even agree with you ;-)
Are the 16 "extra" wikipedias in the middle supposed to be any less "real" than the 12 at the top and bottom?
Seems to. My policy in the German wikipedia was to list on top and bottom only these wikipedias which consist of at least some articles - otherwise I fear to dissappoint the reader if he sees "other languages" and clicks first on turkish, then greek and the russian - and everywhere is nothing.
So the more complete list in the middle was intended to show that there is the _possibility_ to work at a turkish wikipedia, but actually it doesn't exist yet.
I hope this explanation is halfway comprehensible...
BTW, while renewing the Main page recently, I replaced the list in the middle in the German wikipedia by a simple link to a complete list. Bit of a sacrifice, but I thought it would be better to promote the existing Wikipedias on a prominent place than risking that some people don't find the information in the middle.
I don't understand why I seem to be coming across like some kind of rude crank on this. I don't mean to. I apologize again to everyone.
If my reply invoked this impression in you, I apologize. I didn't mean to - sometimes I am a bit of cynic, I can't help.
I have nothing against anyone's language or anyone's wikipedia. I just don't see the point of the redundant, inconsistent information on available languages.
It is not inconsistent - it just transmits a different message.
greetings, elian