[Mediawiki-l] limiting write access to a media wiki

[Terry Jones]

>>>>> "Colin" == Colin Johnson <colinj at ccs.neu.edu> writes:

Colin> I'm working on building a set of howtos for the users here. I
Colin> like the format and control that a mediawiki gives me. What I
Colin> want to do is be able to limit who has write access to the wiki
Colin> and from where.

Colin> I'd like to be able to do the following:

Colin> 1. limit write access to machines only on our local network
Colin> 2. limit write access to users who login so we can track changes
Colin> 3. limit user accounts to specific people.

Colin> I'm working at a college of computer science and so I don't
Colin> want to, right off the bat, enable all of the students with
Colin> write access. I would like to get there eventually but I'd like
Colin> to start out with only a small number of users who have write
Colin> access and then grow that group over time.


Hi Colin.

I'm not going to try to answer your questions, but instead make a few
comments that you might consider.

The main suggestion is that you consider letting the wiki be open
initially and shutting off access as need be, rather than locking it
down from the outset with a plan to selectively open it. I think a far
more interesting and potentially rich experience is to move (if
needed) from open to closed. There's nothing to be too concerned
about: if it doesn't work, you tighten things up. Lawyers might
disagree, I know. Plus, your aim to develop Howto documents in a wiki
is a perfect scenario for having many people making improvements and
adding information that a few people would take for granted, get
wrong, leave out, under-describe, etc. You can't predict the content
of the wiki, and that's great and well aligned with user manuals (or
howtos) which are notoriously bad at predicting the needs of actual
users. So it feels to me like you've chosen the right tool (the wiki)
and are now looking for a way to (initially) turn off the power it
brings you rather than just letting the thing fly and seeing what
happens. You might be surprised. If you lock it down, the whole
project loses interest, becomes somehow much less attractive, you're
just making another set of manuals.

Here's a perhaps relevant example. I'm teaching a (graduate level,
admittedly) class on computer science theory and algorithms. I set up a
wiki for the class - with just a few basic pages: the syllabus, the
evaluation, some admin details, a page with some of my info on it.  I
introduced the wiki on day 1 and pushed them to start using it
(everyone made a page about themselves and linked it in). Plus, each
class has an assigned note taker, and the note taker (and others, of
course) puts stuff into the wiki. The people in the class can do
anything they want to the wiki: change the syllabus, change the page
that says how they will be evaluated, write stuff about each other or
me, deface things, delete things etc. But.... none of this has
happened. I was expecting I'd perhaps have to lock down some pages or
restrict write access to logged-in users, etc., but no. On the other
hand, good things you would not anticipate have happened: students
start taking notes on the class before the class happens! - they're out
there digging up stuff they think is interesting on upcoming subject
and writing and linking it up in the wiki. I go and look at the
syllabus for the day to see what I said I'd teach, and I find notes
already done with stuff someone thinks is important and wants to hear
about. I've had a kid sitting in class taking notes and updating the
wiki as the class happens (while I simultaneously have the wiki up on
an overhead projection system).  There are also little things that I
would never have thought of (and didn't have to), like someone putting
a link to the Greek alphabet onto the front page of the wiki - to help
everyone learn the various letters seen in the math. It's pretty cool.

Maybe that's some food for thought for you. And no, you can't have the
URL of the class wiki :-)

Regards,
Terry Jones.