Launch: We're moving forward - Wikivoyage-l

6 Nov 2012

Hi folks,

based on the poll at
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Travel_Guide/Launch , Stefan's
go-ahead, and the potential significant delays that we'd incur if we
deferred [*], I'm going to be bold and I'm authorizing the launch this
week as originally planned.

Here's what this will mean:

* Hans is preparing database dumps tonight. Any wiki will need to go
into read-only mode the moment dumps are being kicked off, and will
need to remain in read-only mode on the old server. WTS, SHARED,
GENERAL and ASSOC are exempt from this as they'll not be migrated
as-such. They can remain editable for purposes such as tagging content
statuses.

* We're still waiting for the registrar of wikivoyage.org to finalize
the transfer. We've aimed to accelerate this process as much as
possible, but to some extent it's ouside of our control. We hope that
the transfer will be completed tomorrow. Worst case scenario is that
the wikis under wikivoyage.org will be read-only for a few more days.
(There are technical workarounds to access the new site if this
happens, which we will post if needed.)

* Tomorrow and Wednesday we'll spend a lot of time debugging the
imports and the new site functions. A lot of things will incrementally
be fixed so don't be surprised if things are a bit bumpy at first.

* The site will be configured to use Commons as its media repository,
so any files referenced from there will work. Other files will need to
be uploaded either to Commons or to the local wiki under the non-free
content policy.

* We'll run a sitenotice that explains that the site is in beta, how
to access pages on the old server, and how to help report bugs and fix
issues.

* wikivoyage-old.org WILL WORK to access the old sites for as long as needed.

It's going to be a bit of a bumpy ride, so please bear with us.

Thanks much for your understanding and support in getting the word out.

All best,
Erik

[*] We'd have to either schedule a window into Hans' upcoming long
travel through the US and Mexico, or ensure that we've got all the
procedures reviewed and tested by Wikivoyage's other administrators.
It would be possible, but I think most people really would like to see
this project move forward without entering a long window of
uncertainty.

-- 
Erik Möller
VP of Engineering and Product Development, Wikimedia Foundation

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