Quite simply... Cache... Wikipedia runs behind squid, and that allows all anon visitors to view the exact same page cached by squid instead of needing to make MediaWiki recreate the page each and every time another person wants it. Because of the cache, the browser language isn't used. If the cache were removed, Wikipedia would likely bog down to a halt. So language preferences are only honored for logged in users who aren't affected by cache.
~Daniel Friesen(Dantman) of: -The Gaiapedia (http://gaia.wikia.com) -Wikia ACG on Wikia.com (http://wikia.com/wiki/Wikia_ACG) -and Wiki-Tools.com (http://wiki-tools.com)
Steve Bennett wrote:
This has probably been discussed before, but why does mediawiki (or at least, wikipedia) default to showing the interface in the language of the wikipedia, rather than in the language of the browser? E.g., when I visit ru.wikipedia.org, common sense dictates that the interface should be shown in English, the language defined in my browser preferences. Sure, I can change it by creating an account and defining my preferences, but even that is difficult enough on a foreign language Wikipedia, and extremely difficult for a non-Roman script.
What's the thinking here?
Steve
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