From: "Larry Sanger" lsanger@nupedia.com
Let's consider some arguments though on both sides. Let's think it through!
Don't worry. I won't change any code unless I have a feeling there is a consensus about this. But by now I have programmed most of the SQL that deals with this and I think I have a reasonable insight in what the consequences are from a technical point of view. From the users point of view not much changes (unless we want to) except that the namespace-feature that keeps links by default within the namespace is turned back on.
And there should at least be one good counter-argument, shouldn't there? :-)
Yup, there are good counterarguments. The central one is that because the main wikipedia holds the vast majority of information on the site, most links are into the main site, no matter what section the page is in.
Note also that if the change were turned on, all current links would need to be automagically changed.
That said, I'd think it not unreasonable to make the switch, inasmuch as we have the test case of meta.wikipedia.com, where to link to the main site you have to put wp: before the link, which is essentially what we're talking about.
But this should be lower priority than fixing the many, many bugs the current software has.
-tc