Project:Wiki
| Wiki | |
|---|---|
| Description | The wiki project oversees and governs the community and the content under the wiki.gentoo.org domain. |
| Project email | wiki@gentoo.org |
| IRC channel | #gentoo-wiki (webchat) |
| Bugs | Related bugs |
| Lead(s) |
Last elected: 2022-07-18 |
| Member(s) |
|
| Subproject(s) (and inherited member(s)) |
|
| Parent Project | Gentoo |
| Project listing | |
Contributor's guide — Guidelines — Fixing errors howto
Editing pages — Talk pages — Formatting
Code of conduct — Wiki project page — About Gentoo wiki — Wiki FAQ
Help improve the documentation! — Contributing to Gentoo
The wiki project coordinates contributors to help make it easy to write the best possible documentation both for Gentoo users, and for the Unix(like) community at large.
The goal of the Gentoo wiki is to become the best Linux-related resource on the web through contributions from the Gentoo community. The project leverages MediaWiki so anyone can assist in improving documentation for Gentoo: just create an account then click the "Edit" button!
Take a look at the Handbook project page for the part of the wiki project dedicated to the Gentoo Handbook.
Happy improvements!
To anyone new, please check out the contributor's guide and start helping out! See also the page about the wiki and the wiki FAQ.
Statistics
- 98 active dev and community users on the wiki.
- 9,505 articles (number is inflated due to translations).
- 197,097 pages (number is inflated due to translations).
More information can be found on the statistics page.
Roadmap
This section lists things that need to be done around the wiki. Anyone involved in the wiki project is encouraged to pick something and to start working on it.
Past accomplishments can be found in the archive.
There is also the Todo category that details all the known tasks that it would be helpful for people to pitch in with, and a list of common tasks to help out with all the routine things that we need help with.
When taking on a task, please add the {{U}} (in-line user) template with the appropriate username to the end of the corresponding entry below, to show others who is working on what.
Wiki software updates
See the updates subpage.
Database exports
- Revisit and review: database exports for offline viewing: bug #823860.
- The vision for this change would be to provide an offline/local XML/HTML copy of the wiki that could ship with our larger live images...
- In order for to this to work well, we'd want to ensure a web browser is shipped, or that the text of the wiki would be easily viewable and copy/pasta-able from a CLI environment... no links won't work.
- This would likely mean there'd be date-versioned copies of the wiki. Wiki team would coordinate and perhaps use a developer's staging area on dev.gentoo.org in order to 'host' the sources, until they have been pulled into the mirrors. We'd also need to ship Tyrian and friends as well...
- In this way, we'd support 'community backups' of the wiki in the event of disaster; granted there still would large chunks of the database that would be missing.
- Since the User: namespace is the most likely to contain PII and lots of drafted but incomplete articles, we'd consider excluding that namespace from the export... although it's worth noting that the PII uploaded to visible wiki pages is also CC-BY-SA 4.0 licensed.
- More info: https://wikitech.wikimedia.org/wiki/Dumps
- Tools and scripts: https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/source/operations-dumps/
MediaWiki extensions
The following extensions may be added to the Gentoo wiki in next round of updates:
- PageNotice - This should allow us to do things such as add a short disclaimer to the top of all user pages.
- Labeled Section Transclusion (per Jeffery Gazso (JGaz) 's request on Gentoo_Wiki:Feedback#cs-comment-276714)
- Semantic Result Formats
- Extension:Approved Revs - This extension could allow non-devs (i.e. any wiki editor) to easily and safely make edits to protected pages (the handbook, project pages, etc.) which would then have to be approved by a dev in order to be published. This would enable workflows more similar to those offered by git repositories - a pull request for a suggested change which can be approved or denied by a Gentoo developer. Note that the docs for this extension state: "Even if a revision is approved, most extensions that retrieve the contents of pages will still get the last revision, and not the approved one (if the two are different).", which may or may not be an issue for the Gentoo wiki.
- Extension:Moderation Seems similar to Extension:Approved_Revs above, but geared towards avoiding vandalism rather than screening edits for quality. Extension:Moderation prevents all non-approved edits from ever being visible to other users (not even in the edit history).
Open discussion discovery improvements
Goal: Be able to track open (and closed) discussion items across the wiki in order to have knowledge of how many open discussions exist and where to find them.
- How many open discussions are left.
- Where to find remaining open discussions.
Create/add a "Has open discussion" and "Has closed discussion" properties to the Talk templates in order for easier (SMW #ask) querying of open discussions within certain namespaces. Ideally we'd want to be able to poll the Project: and Handbook: namespaces for discovering discussions that are not yet answered / closed... perhaps something like {{subpages}} could be used to automatically display open discussions under a certain page prefix. E.g.: properties found under Project:Wiki/* with a status of "open" would be automatically displayed under a section of the wiki's project page, etc.
Could be gathered up into one overview dashboard and listed on reach project page as well.
Todo:
Add properties(Done!)Adjust the {{Talk}} template to set properties depending on the if open/closed/done is passed. Investigate the SMW #switch function.- Create overview dashboard page for all open discussions.
For closed we could just get a total count and not link to all open discussions.- Conjure up Handbook and Project SMW ask query to list open and closed discussions in their own sections on the page.
- Enhance project pages by adding a new automatically generated section that shows open discussions.
GLEP 39 non-complaint project lead query
- If set, add the current project leads to this list (see include leads?): Project:Gentoo/GLEP_39_election_date_non-compliant_projects
Remove translations permission?
The comment-streams plugin adds too much inconvenience to enabling translations for individual users. The comment-streams log has to be reviewed in order to find the user.
Options:
- No longer require special permission for translations. See comment 10 on bug #801937.
- Use a different method for requesting translations.
- Other options?
Documentation improvements
- Document wiki project maintenance task workflows/run books - tracked here: Project:Wiki/Development
Modifying and testing project and developer forms and templates.- Done! 2022-08-04. Matthew Marchese (maffblaster)
Lazy tasks
"Lazy tasks" can be performed as time permits. These tasks are not high priority items, but to require some attention as necessary.
Translations
See Help:Translating and the Translations special pages.
- Process translator account requests
- For now, each user account must be manually enabled for translation permissions before an account can translate. These are processed in batches - we try to shoot for a monthly basis - but sometimes we get behind.
- Mark pages for translation
- These pages will need to be proof read for any obvious grammatical or punctuation errors, or incorrect instruction.
- Reviewing translations
- Users may now review translations using the Review option either on the Action bar or on the bottom of Translate page. Users cannot review their own translations.
Article updates
- Continue to work on writing Requested articles - In progress. (Matthew Marchese (maffblaster) and other wiki contributors)
- Perform general formatting updates to articles as needed (see Todo category).
- Update the Security Handbook formatting according to the wiki Guidelines.
FAQs
Can I rename my account?
Do NOT create a new account to 'claim' or 'reserve' a new account name, this would make it difficult to impossible to transfer the old account's contents to the new account name.
It is possible to request account renames - simply follow the procedure below. Note that the procedure requires manual intervention by a wiki admin and can take time, so choose account names carefully!
Only the actual account-owner is able to request an account rename, and must be logged-in with the account for which the rename request is being made.
To request an account rename, login to the account to be renamed (the existing account) to edit the user page of that account and add a {{UsernameRenameRequest}} template at the top, as in the following example, replacing LarryTheCow with the the new account name:
{{UsernameRenameRequest|LarryTheCow}}
This must be done from the account that is requesting to be renamed so that wiki admins can verify that the rename request comes from the owner of that account.
If in a hurry or the rename is taking too long, ask in #gentoo-wiki (webchat) if an admin could rename the account, after having followed the procedure above. Be sure to provide a link to the user page for which the request is being made. Wiki admins will eventually review the request.
Use the Special:RenameUser page to rename a user account, but only after the owner of the account has edited their user page to add a rename request.
After renaming the account, remove the account rename request template from the user page.
Can I rename my account to begin with a leading lowercase letter?
Unfortunately there is a technical limitation for MediaWiki does not allow for accounts to be created with a leading lowercase letter. The best workaround presently possible is to add the {{Lowercase title}} template to the user page. This will present the page as lowercase when visiting the page, but does not actually rename the account. There was a bug filed with upstream MediaWiki at one point to enable lowercase starting letters for account names, but to the best of our knowledge, the effort was never completed.
Can I delete/remove my account?
Account deletion is permanent, irreversible, and excludes the account from making further edits to the wiki to add, change, or remove content. By deleting your account, you will no longer be able to make or request any modifications to content.
To request account deletion:
- Log in to the account to be removed. It is important that the following actions be performed while logged in to the account that is requesting to be deleted: this is how wiki admins verify that the request was issued by the account owner.
- Go to the account's user page and click on the "Edit" button.
- Add an {{AccountRemovalRequest}} template at the top of the page, which should include the following text to indicate that you fully understand the effects of account deletion:
{{AccountRemovalRequest|Hi Gentoo wiki admins, I would like my account permanently deleted. I understand this removal is a one-way action that cannot be undone. Please proceed with deleting my account.}}. - Click Save changes.
- Wait for an admin to perform the deletion.
If in a hurry or the rename is taking too long, ask in #gentoo-wiki (webchat) if an admin could delete the account, after having followed the procedure above (note that not all admins can delete accounts). Be sure to provide a link to the user page for which the request is being made. Wiki admins will eventually review the request.
The Gentoo wiki runs on Mediawiki which preserves revision history in most circumstances (even for deleted accounts that have never performed any editing). Deleted accounts are therefore usually merged with the Anonymous account, which is blocked (prevented from performing actions on the wiki).
To delete an account:
- Confirm that the deletion request was added by the account owner; in other words we must certify that the deletion request was not added by another user:
- Go to the user page history and validate that the specific edit which added the deletion request was performed by the same username as the account requesting deletion.
- This step is very important as it is the only way to confirm that the deletion request was issued by the holder of the account in question.
- Check that the the {{AccountRemovalRequest}} template includes the correct "acceptance boilerplate text", as cited in the user-instructions above.
- If all of the above is correct, merge the account to be removed with the Anonymous user account:
- Be sure to select the "Delete old user" checkbox on the User Merge page.
Accounts waiting to be deleted will be listed on Category:Account removal requests.
Does an account need banned?
Users
In case of edits clearly harmful to the wiki, please notify wiki admins using any or all of the contact methods (see above InfoBox: email, IRC, etc.). The team usually keeps a close eye on edits, so please double check that nobody has yet taken action.
Please include links to the abusive changes and to any attempts to mitigate them via discussions on Talk pages. We trust you, our policy is to verify the claim.
Admins
Wiki admins can disable accounts using the Disable Account special page. Do so only have validating the claims are true.
Can I get a dump of the Gentoo wiki database?
No(t yet). Database dumps are not available. We will update this message if database dumps become available in the future.
The Gentoo infrastructure team does an excellent job maintaining the servers and databases used to host the Gentoo wiki. Please raise concerns over data integrity, availability, and confidentiality with the infrastructure team, not the wiki team.
How can I change my email address?
Users
See the change email page or the "Email options" part of the user profile to self-service with this request. A user must be logged-in to the account in order change the associated email address. Users should have no issues self-serving an email address change as long as they can successfully authenticate the account via the login process.
Admins
If manual intervention is necessary, Gentoo infra staff that have access to geese can follow upstream's guide for manual email address change.
Manual intervention should only be performed after the account has been properly verified. The user should have no reason to not change the email address themself via self-service!
Governance and oversight
The wiki project team exists to govern and oversee the wiki.gentoo.org domain. In doing so we sometimes make decisions on how to handle documentation.
Retired projects
Sometimes it is necessary to retire a project. Instead of deleting the project page, in order to preserve Gentoo project history and make potentially documention more easily discoverable, it is better to move the project page and any sub-pages to the main namespace.
This way the community can continue to see documentation from the decommissioned project effort and can build upon or resume the project at a later date, if desired. It also better aligns with the way project git repositories are archived on gitweb.g.o.
- Move the page and any sub-pages into the Main namespace.
- This preserves the page edit history.
- If necessary, append the suffix "(project archive)", without the quotes, to the page name.
- Modify the page via the "Edit source" button and remove the {{Project}} template and all the content therein, then add
[[Category:Archived project]]category to the end of the page.- This will make project page more easily discoverable for interested parties who are attempting to find achieved project documentation.
- If applicable and/or desired, mark the page with a {{Archived}} template at the top of the page.
See the Sunrise article as an example.
Participation
As with all official Gentoo projects: community participation not only welcome, but highly encouraged. In short, here are a few things that could use some immediate attention:
- Gentoo_Wiki:Feedback - Review the wiki feedback page. Respond to and close any open discussions here.
- Open discussions - Help close out open discussions (especially anything open in the Handbook namespace).
- Todo list - Review other things that need some effort.
- Translate - Make the Gentoo documentation available in your native language. Become a translator.
As with most Gentoo projects, as you pile on contributions you may be asked if you are interested in joining our wiki project. We are excited to see the ways community members enhance our mass of freely available documentation.
Wiki internal development
- Project:Wiki/Development — a landing page for development and maintenance of MediaWiki features and enhancements added by the Gentoo wiki project.
Users with significant contributions to the project
- Alex Legler (a3li) - Official Gentoo wiki founder, administrator, and protector who welded the Ban Hammer with ease. He will never be forgiven.
- Also Matthew Marchese (maffblaster) 's mentor.
- Arne Stäcker (Astaecker) - Arne was around during the wiki's founding. He greatly assisted by creating several templates that are still widely used today, which helped article formatting and better organize wiki data.
- Sven Vermeulen (SwifT) - Documentation project lead who also authored the Gentoo Handbook (originally in the GuideXML format) and then migrated it, along with many of Gentoo's "HOWTO" guides, to the wiki. He also oversee as an editor to the main namespace on the wiki.
- Darkcircle - Epic Korean translator who fixed a lot of English (source) documents as well.
- P.Fox (Ris) - Significant documentation contributions around the wiki.
Archives
- Archive — timeline of wiki project accomplishments over the years
- Gentoo wiki news archive — contains the final form of historical news items from the front (main) page of wiki.g.o.
- Handbook changelog — contains a summary of details and rationale for changes made to the Gentoo Handbooks.
- Template migrations — provides a list of release instructions associated with template migrations
- Wiki software updates — contains notes from each wiki software update cycle
See also
- Article blueprints — provide contributors with convenient ready-made structures on which to base articles, to encourage consistency across the documentation.
- Contributor's guide — help anyone quickly get started with simple edits
- Help pages — provide useful information about using the Gentoo wiki