"EM" == Erik Moeller erik_moeller@gmx.de writes:
EM> I agree with Anthere on this one. The real names feature EM> simply adds unnecessary complexity.
I think that's wrong. I think that having a real name as a field attached to a unique user ID string has a pretty strong precedent in computer systems. Unix accounts, email, chat systems, etc., have a unique string for user ID plus an optional place to put a full, non-unique name.
EM> It's difficult enough to convey the difference between EM> usernames and nicknames without an additional layer.
If it's difficult to convey that, there's a conceptual disconnect with nicknames.
I'd be very happy to remove the nickname field from MediaWiki.
Of the two -- real name or nickname -- the first is far more important than the second.
EM> What we should instead work towards is easy changing of EM> usernames.
That's significantly harder, and I'd say pretty unnecessary.
http://meta.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_names
~ESP