WMF is introducing Beta Features
<https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/About_Beta_Features> (1), a new program
that lets you test new features on Wikipedia and other Wikimedia sites
before they are released for everyone.
Think of it as a digital laboratory where community members can preview
upcoming software and give feedback to help improve them. This special
preference page lets designers and engineers experiment with new features on
a broad scale, but not in a disruptive manner.
Beta Features is released on all wikis worldwide on November 7, 2013. You
can test it now on
MediaWiki.org <http://MediaWiki.org/> and on TestWiki.
Here are the first features you can test this week:
* Media Viewer
<https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Multimedia/About_Media_Viewer> -- view
images in large size or full screen. (2)
* VisualEditor Formulæ
<https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/VisualEditor/Beta_Features/Formulae> --
edit algebra or equations on your pages. (3) This feature is yet to work
for Indic. You may test on English Wiki
* Typography Refresh <https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Typography_Update> --
make text more readable and consistent. (4)
Would you like to try out BetaFeatures now? After you log in here on
MediaWiki.org
<https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:Preferences#mw-prefsection-betafeatu
res> (5), a small 'Beta' link will appear next to your 'Preferences':
click
on it to see features you can test, check the ones you want, then click
'Save'. Learn more here
<https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/About_Beta_Features>
(1)
After you've tested Beta Features, please let developers know what you think
on <https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Talk:About_Beta_Features> this
discussion page (6) -- or report any bugs here on Bugzilla
<https://bugzilla.wikimedia.org/enter_bug.cgi?product=MediaWiki%20extensions
&component=BetaFeatures> (7).
Beta Features was developed by the Wikimedia Foundation's Design, Multimedia
and VisualEditor teams. Along with other developers, they will be adding new
features to this experimental program every few weeks.
Enjoy, and don't forget to let us know what you think!
Pavanaja <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Pavanaja>
(1)
https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/About_Beta_Features
(2)
https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Multimedia/About_Media_Viewer
(3)
https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/VisualEditor/Beta_Features/Formulae
(4)
https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Typography_Update
(5)
https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:Preferences#mw-prefsection-betafeatur
es
(6)
https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Talk:About_Beta_Features
(7)
https://bugzilla.wikimedia.org/enter_bug.cgi?product=MediaWiki%20extensions
<https://bugzilla.wikimedia.org/enter_bug.cgi?product=MediaWiki%20extensions
&component=BetaFeatures> &component=BetaFeatures
Thanks and regards,
Pavanaja
U.B. Pavanaja, MSc, PhD
Programme Officer <http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Pavanaja> Indian
languages,
Access to Knowledge program
The Centre for Internet & Society