While trying to add some more information to https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:Code, I came across a slightly peculiar issue regarding the entry points for MediaWiki:
Right now, among all the entry points that I know of (those are listed in Manual:Code), only mw-config/index.php doesn't sit in the root folder. Furthermore, it's related to the installer at includes/installer/, but that is not clear at all from the code organization, specifically the directory names (and the lack of documentation both in the file and on mediawiki.org).
I have two questions, then: 1) should all access points be on the root directory of the wiki, for consistency? 2) should the name "mw-config" be changed to something that more clearly indicates its relationship with the installer?
Note that these aren't merely nitpicking: a consistent structure and intuitive names for files and directories play an important role in the self-documenting nature of the code, and make the learning curve smoother for new developers (e.g. yours truly :-)).
Also, I used Tim Starling's suggestion on IRC to make sure the list of entry point scripts listed in Manual:Code was complete: git grep -l /includes/WebStart.php I am not sure that exhausts the list, however, since thumb_handler.php doesn't show up on its results. Any pointers regarding potential entry points currently omitted from that list are most welcome.
--Waldir
ps - while investigating this subject I came accross some inconsistencies in the way the access points include the WebStart.php file, including an incorrect use (according to Tim) of require_once() instead of require(). I submitted a change to Gerrit harmonizing them; if this interests you, please review the commit: https://gerrit.wikimedia.org/r/#/c/49208/