[Foundation-l] Why is the software out of reach of the community?

[Chad]

2009/1/15 Brian <Brian.Mingus at colorado.edu>

> Access to svn does not imply access to MediaWiki. Changes to MediaWiki have
> been almost entirely up to core developer discretion, and as I have
> demonstrated, 'consensus' has largely implied that they, and only they,
> thought the changes made Wikipedia better. The ideas are rarely presented
> to
> the community in a formal, well-designed demo format (as SMW has been, time
> and time again), and they are not evaluated for their usability. When a
> usability issue arises third party tools are not properly considered.
> Rather, they reinvent the wheel in an inferior manner.
>

Maybe I'm the only one thinking this...but if you see problems,
why don't you try to get involved fixing them? Saying "we have
problems, and you guys won't listen to us" isn't helpful, it's just
complaining. If you have such an enlightened opinion as to the
state of usability within MediaWiki, why not get involved and
share said wisdom?

As many people have said earlier in this thread: the developers
create no barriers to helping with the software. Us getting involved
with all of the various wiki communities every time a change is
proposed would be counter-productive--I for one don't want to
get into an enwiki debate over the placement of a button on
the preferences page. Just as you don't expect Commons to come
and ask every wiki if they think an image should be deleted, don't
expect the developers to come and ask the community for their
blessing every time something needs changing.

-Chad