[Foundation-l] dumps

[David Gerard]

2009/2/23 Newyorkbrad (Wikipedia) <newyorkbrad at gmail.com>:

> However, one question that I have is whether the dump includes, or should
> conclude, all namespaces, or only articles.  In the past, there have
> allegedly been instances in which database dumps have been utilized for
> purposes such as harvesting oversighted edits in userspace and utilizing the
> information for purposes of harassment.  I am not sure whether there is
> value to providing dumps of other than the content spaces.  Comments?


The value of providing good dumps is forkability, in case WMF is hit
by a meteor, hit by a legal meteor, goes collectively insane, etc.
Imagine trying to fork Wikipedia without being able to take the
project spaces with you.

It's too easy for a nominally "open" project to effectively be
proprietised by just not providing the data/code/etc.

(We will gloss over the idea that has occurred to me and several
others that a nuke-and-pave of the project spaces might be the only
way to fix en:wp's terminal instruction creep.)

See my blog post of a coupla years ago on the subject:

http://davidgerard.co.uk/notes/2007/04/10/disaster-recovery-planning/


- d.