Sam Korn wrote:
On 1/22/06, Adrian Buehlmann <adrian(a)cadifra.com>
wrote:
There's nothing that can be done with these advanced templates that
can't be done just as easily and with a significantly lower entry
level for editing with single-level, uncomplicated templates.
Which, in answer to your question, is how templates were meant to be
played with.
Totally wrong. BTW, the duty of prove is on your side. Ah, yes and
if you fail you remove the template, I see.
Do you see me edit-warring over meta-templates? No, because I know
it's pointless. Nevertheless, I have been trying to create
semantically cleaner alternatives. I think you have missed the fact
that these templates weren't created until well after the template
syntax (I believe they originated on en in April of last year). If
the template syntax was intended to be used in this way, we would have
seen it before now.
Part of the motivation for templates was the completely awkward approach
in HTML toward making data tables. I very much support the notion that
the burden of proving necessity should remain with the person promoting
the use of a particular template.
Another silly
one is "templates should be used sparingly". We have
a concept that should not be used. Why? Not because of the concept,
because some people make unproven claims about the implementation.
Shure. Remove every template. They are not needed to create the wiki
pages. We can also write html directly.
There must be some logical fallacy where you hyperbolise your
opponent's arguments in order to make him seem foolish.
I agree nobody, not even me, is arguing for banning the use of *all*
templates.
BTW I use my
own html compiler for that task (for my non wiki pages).
I'm shure you would do that by hand. Because your code is not meant to
change, right?
I do, actually, because I think it's quite important that people can
understand my code. Including myself.
Most of us don't understand the underlying templates. Used improperly
they can obscure the verification of content. Templates should make the
use of the Wiki easier to the general audience. Too often they are only
there to illustrate the coder's skill at using complicated techniques
for saving a few bytes of keyboarding. To be useful a template must be
memorable. If I have to engage in extensive reaearch to figure out the
correct specialized template I'm better off using plain text even when
it means typing out one whole word more.