Jay R. Ashworth wrote:
For Wikipedia, specifically, any cost which much be paid by potential editors -- within reasonable limits -- is a *good* thing, as it weeds out an increasingly larger pool of potential vandals.
This is less of an issue on non-WMF sites, but I really *do* think it's a good thing for wp, et al, yes. It *is* possible for vandalism to outstrip the capability of the active userbase to clean it up; negative feedback is useful.
I am not so sure that "difficult editing" is an appropriate filter, though.
First, to be a vandal, one need not learn the nuances of the table syntax. Second, most vandals are young and web savvy... we are probably slowing them down less than we are slowing down wise and thoughtful people who are not web savvy.
--Jimbo