On Fri, 24 Aug 2001, Magnus Manske wrote:
It has all essential wiki features like article editing, version management, user management, subpages, etc.
Sounds fantastic. (Just don't support sub-sub-n-pages, please.)
Additionally, its data storage is completely MySQL (fast!), it has a file upload tool, some other goodies soon.
As far as I'm concerned, the question is: how soon can we test this out?
We don't know when the New York Times article is going to appear, but my understanding is that it could be as early as next Tuesday. Probably not that early, but it's possible. We might just get a one paragraph mention and only a little more traffic--but we might be TOTALLY INUNDATED with traffic. We've got to be ready. I'm prepared to work this weekend helping in whatever way I can, if others are up to it. (I have to get vacation days built up for my honeymoon anyway. :-) )
Maybe best of all, script and database are prepared to support some kind of editor/superuser functionality for "locking" pages, as it is currently discussed.
I think that having that functionality isn't a bad idea, but I agree with Jimbo that we should not lock down pages. If anyone wants to debate this precise point again, I'm game. If you don't understand why we're so adamantly opposed to it, I think I can make it clearer than I've made it so far.
No, the best thing of all would be something that can instantly and *without loss of data or format* transfer Wikipedia pages from UseModWiki into Wikipedia code. We could call this Encyclode (encyclopedia + code). On the other hand, that might be lame. That's just my idea. :-)
Now to the bad sides (yes, there are some...)
- I don't have a server to host it yet. Maybe I can run it on the Nupedia
server sometimes. So, no trying yet, sorry.
Jimbo mentioned the possibility of a CVS system--wouldn't take long to set up. Unfortunately, it's Friday afternoon...
- The parser (to convert the source text into readable stuff) is very basic.
I copied the HomePage and the SandBox from wikipedia, and they look about the same, but this is wherte the bugs will be.
Well, you mentioned something about being able to use the UseModWiki parser. Could you? Would that be a way to preserve all the old UseModWiki formatting?
Just letting you know there's an early but working alternative ready...
Thanks, Magnus. I'm eager to see it.
Larry