Currently, before creating a new user account we do some limited
validation on the given name:
* Trim beginning and trailing whitespace
* Check if it looks like an IP address (four sequences of 1-3 digits with
dots between them), if so reject it.
* Check if there's a slash character, if so reject it [I just added this
check; it was I think supposed to be added when we set up partial subpage
support for userspace, which conflicts with the slash character in names
if remaining problems with the contribs/email sidebar links are fixed.
Unless there's some huge objection... there don't appear to be any valid
usernames on this pattern. Note also that this check applies only to new
names; existing ones which are legitimate would be grandfathered in.]
*Canonicalize the name (run through the title canonicalizer and take the
version without underscores) and check for an exact existing match. If
there is one, reject it.
We may wish to do a case-_in_sensitive check, and/or a
same-except-for-accents check. Or not. Anyway, I think it could use some
tidying up.
-- brion vibber (brion @
pobox.com)