Wiki page locked, would like to fix error

Forum: User Feedback
Topic: Wiki page locked, would like to fix error
started by: isnoop

Posted by isnoop on Dec. 02 2005,11:06

This wiki page is locked, but it, more than any, should perhaps be available for users to edit:
< http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/wiki....estions >

The error I'd like to correct is the package name mentioned for the VNC server. This one had me chasing my tail for longer than necessary thinking there might be two packages or I was getting the wrong one.

Posted by anon on Dec. 04 2005,08:08

I don't agree with everything SaidinUnleashed has done...

(I think his flaming drives people away from DSL, and from the wiki. --it certainly makes me uncomfortable enough to stay away)

and, unfortunately, he appears to be the main person behind the wiki.

(--unfortunately because of the angry face he puts on this fine piece of software and unfortunately because of the glacial change of the wiki)

That being said, the main wiki page was locked too --for a reason;
appearantly the main wiki page was getting defaced by spammers.

For documentation to be useful, it must be accurate. And the documentation in highest demand are the answers to the F.A.Q.s
--therefore in the FAQ, accuracy is paramount, and it should not be defaced.

What would be nice,however, would be if the owner of the FAQ could leave a contact address on the FAQ-- that way you, and others, can offer corrections as needed.

The whole Idea of a wiki is community participation--the new experts, still remembering their most trying moments, can fix things, in documentation at least, for those who come after them. If the community is not allowed to participate, or is restricted to the point of being driven away, why have a wiki?

Posted by isnoop on Dec. 04 2005,18:59

Oh, I didn't realize there was a history to this wiki. Well, it's fortunate MediaWiki has such a good revert tool to get rid of crap you don't want. I understand the need to keep things spam free, but perhaps it could also be served by making a couple more people mods of the wiki and having them subscribe to the recent changes RSS feed. Of course, it would also be nice if MediaWiki had a "moderated" mode where new wiki users had to have their changes reviewed before they went live.

Posted by SaidinUnleashed on Dec. 04 2005,19:58

isnoop,

Updated with your suggestion. Thanks a bunch~

For future reference, you can make suggestions for changes/additions on locked pages on that page's Talk page (see < How To Use This Wiki >)

anon,

The DSL Wiki is not Wikipedia, and as such does not operate under the same "anyone can edit anything" set of rules. Anyone may contribute, anyone may correct errors, but excessive wiki-formatting (e.g. [[USB]] [[Pendirve]] [[booting]]) is not needed, and ultimately, the DSL team has the right to set the rules and edit or remove anything we do not feel belongs there.

If you feel that the DSL wiki is not as "free and open" as such places as Wikipedia, you are right. It is not. With the DSL wiki, accuracy and specificity are paramount. It is also meant to be DSL-specific - it sould not cover general Linux or PC-general stuff, such as describing what a usb port is, or the history of the ATAPI specification, or how to use "cat". There are other places on the web for that sort of information.

-J.P.

Posted by isnoop on Dec. 11 2005,22:18

Bummer... Some creep just spammed a bunch of the pages. I reverted the ones that weren't talk, but there are still a few left over.

Posted by faroutscience on Dec. 11 2005,22:42

I tried a wiki for a low vision support group. It was hacked and trashed with obscene garbage. I'll never try it again.

Jeff

Posted by cbagger01 on Dec. 13 2005,17:29

Like I said before,

WIKIs are not "self-maintaining".

In theory, they are, but in practice, they are not.

We should all give SU a big thank-you for keeping up with the scumbags and the "want to cross-reference everything including the word 'THE' to wikipedia" crowd.

Posted by isnoop on Dec. 13 2005,18:10

Quote (faroutscience @ Dec. 11 2005,17:42)

I tried a wiki for a low vision support group. It was hacked and trashed with obscene garbage. I'll never try it again.

Jeff

Well, I run three small support wikis myself, and they tend to survive this stuff fairly well. I do think that MediaWiki needs to have some more moderator-friendly imrpovements, though. Specifically, the ability to mass-revert posts by a particular user or IP and the ability to keep new users on a leash for a period of time.

I sure do appreciate SU's efforts to keep this wiki clean and informative.