[Foundation-l] [Wikitech-l] Implementing the Babel extension

[Simetrical]

On Wed, Jul 2, 2008 at 1:30 AM, Gerard Meijssen
<gerard.meijssen at gmail.com> wrote:
> The number and the
> distribution of localisations of the extension is better ensured by having
> an extension.

Possibly, yes, but I don't think such a special-purpose extension is
the right way to do this.  There are really only three benefits I see
here:

1) Extensions can use Betawiki for localization.

2) Extensions can be easily installed and maintained on all Wikimedia
projects at once.

3) Extensions can be easily installed by third parties.

Now, these are real benefits.  But there's no reason to restrict them
only to Babel.  What if you achieved the following instead:

1) Collections of templates can use Betawiki for localization.

2) Collections of templates can be easily installed and maintained on
all Wikimedia projects at once.

3) Collections of templates can be easily installed by third parties.

This would have been as easy to do as writing the Babel extension, I
suspect, and a lot more useful.

> One of the reasons for the extension is NOT to have to maintain a long list
> of templates. Templates are nice for local usage. When they are to be used
> on all our wikis they are a pest. When they are also to be used by projects
> outside of the WMF they are clearly inferior.
>
> Templates that are to be used on multiple projects suck big time.

And this is the problem that should have been addressed to begin with.
 You should not write software to solve a narrow problem when you
could solve a much bigger problem just as easily.