[Foundation-l] Why is MediaWiki so low-tech?

Sat Jan 6 17:11:10 UTC 2007

On 1/6/07, Virgil Ierubino <virgil.ierubino at gmail.com> wrote:
> Why is MediaWiki so low-tech?
>
> I understand the imperitive for maximal accessibility, but is it not also
> true that, these days, fewer and fewer people are using browsers that can't
> handle advanced features? The fact of the matter is that a website's
> *usability* is improved by taking advantage of the higher-tech architecture
> that modern browsers allow you to use. Can't MediaWiki default to its
> current state, but offer a per-user preference to turn on advanced options?
>
> Look at a site like Facebook, (http://www.facebook.com), for example, which
> is possibly one of the most beautifully constructed websites I have ever
> encountered. It is simple in layout and ridiculously easy to use on account
> of very good design, and the use of advanced code generating popups,

we have popups if you install the right extension see
[[Wikipedia:Tools/Navigation popups]]

> immediate editing, etc.

we've got that.

>Furthermore their code is pristine; I have never
> seen an error, even in the advanced features, on any browser.
>

Throws up errors in Mosaic (yes I know not a fair test). Either you
over generalised or you didn't search very far.

> The kind of MediaWiki advanced features I'm talking about could be something
> like instant editing. Think about if you're reading a long section of an
> article, and midway down there's a spelling error. There are so many reasons
> to not fix it: you'd have to scroll up to click the edit link on that
> section, you'd have to wait for it to load, you'd have to find the place
> again in the edit box, you'd have to wait for it to load again, and all this
> time you won't be able to continue reading your article, and you'll have
> lost your place. What if you could just click next to the relevant
> paragraph, turning it into an edit box on the same page - no loading - edit
> it, save it, and never once have to switch page. Something similar to the
> way you can edit posts in vBulletin without having to change pages. I know
> for sure that a feature like this would double the speed at which (and the
> likelihood of which) articles are improved.
>

When I click on something on wikipedia I generaly don't want to edit it.

> Obviously once you accept the usage of advanced elements like this there's
> no stopping how much easier you can make the site, and how user friendly. If
> the only grounds to not include this kind of feature are accessibility, just
> put each feature on a switch in user preferences.

How about lack of coders and lack of money?

-- 
geni