[WikiEN-l] Article size consistency 32k

Sat May 21 05:00:56 UTC 2005

On Fri, 20 May 2005, Daniel Mayer wrote:

> --- Fred Bauder <fredbaud at ctelco.net> wrote:
> > The issue is always download speed when we serve a diverse international
> > audience and at least make noises about serving the poor and the third
> > world. Serving up articles over 100kb long with several images each over
> > 200kb will basically stop a slower computer with limited memory operating
> > with a modem in its tracks, sometimes even requiring a reboot. Essentially
> > the site becomes unusable.
>
> There is also the issue of print. So while Wikipedia is not paper, it would be
> nice to include articles on every major topic without having to cut down more
> trees than needed. So we should summarize much more often and move more
> detailed text to daughter articles (we'd likely only print selected parent
> articles in a print version).
>
> Readers also very often have limited time and/or patience (especially on the
> Internet). More condensed treatments should be available to serve those readers
> while at the same time links to related articles can provide the detail for
> those who need that. By 'more condensed' I mean articles that are in the size
> range of a normal college term paper (10-15 printed 8.5x11 pages of prose with
> standard font).
>

College term papers generally are double-spaced. Internet printouts tend
to be single spaced. Sure you're not taking that into account?