Features - Wikisource-l

18 Apr 2007


      It seems like every six months or so I end exposing my
frustration about the lack of attention our requests
get from developers on foundation-l.  In one month we
will have been waiting for feedback on the LST patch a
full half-year.  So I thought to compile all the tips
I have been given on getting features for Wikisource
in one email to see if anyone else has other
suggestions we have not tried.
The only suggestion I have gotten from the recent
foundation-l thread is to include implementation of an
extension in the development.  I really don't
understand what is meant by that.
Six months back I was given the following suggestions
on development issues:
*be certain requests fit with the interests and
priorities of the group that would actually effect it
( I think this is not an issue with the Wikisource
requests)
*get someone writing code to think the requests are
useful and/or neat 
(Mixed success)
*convince developer the feature *is actually 
desirable*.  
(We have really failed here.  Even when we have gotten
editors from nearly all the active languages to
announce their support for a request in one place with
none opposing, I have been told by a developer that he
thought "there is open debate about whether this is a
desirable feature"  I suggest this be read as
"convince Wikipedia editors to tell developers a
feature is actually desirable.")
*occasionally throw in a casual request for the status
of your latest (least) favourite bug.
(Mixed success)
*See if you can get someone to write a toolserver tool
that performs more or less the same function as
MediaWiki should. This has been a remarkably
successful approach at Commons, although we'd prefer
the MW solution of course.
( This really hasn't been tried.  I personally don't
think Toolserver is capable of what we want in our
requests, but I am really not certain what it *is*
capable of.)
*you may want to learn PHP and the MediaWiki
codebase...  
( Well not an option for me personally, but Thomas V
has gotten many things done by coding them himself )
An idea of my own, is to work at convincing the German
chapter that a feature is important as they have
employed developers.  This hasn't been tried as far as
I know.
I would point out progress has made been on features
in the last six months.  Thomas V has done great work
with Proofread Page extension, another addition to his
impressive resume of Wikisoure solutions. And I
especially want to say how much I appreciate the work
of Steve Sanbeg, who as a new Wikisoure contributer,
has gotten LST to be a workable extension instead of
just vague concept.  I met Steve at Wikimania in
Boston and he shortly thereafter got to work on coding
LST.  He also has some great ideas for using bots to
take on the next step in the en.WS Bible project after
LST is installed.  So if anyone is able to attend
Wikimania this year, please recruit developers!
Birgitte SB
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