[WikiEN-l] Cruft

Wed May 3 00:11:10 UTC 2006

Philip Welch wrote:

>We're not hunting down newbies and forcing them to participate in  
>deletion discussions. Deletion discussions take place within the  
>Wikipedia community, and like any community we have our jargon.
>
The risk is too high that if they knew about these discussions they 
might have a different opinion.

>If someone wants to join that community, they have to learn the  
>jargon. Even the most welcoming communities work this way.
>
Yes, communities do have their jargon, but a welcoming community helps 
guide the newbie through the jargon.  In the absence of a welcome they 
just go away.

>>>Is it offensive to call it "cruft"? No [more] offensive than  
>>>vouching for
>>>its deletion. I guess we should abolish deletion for the same reason
>>>saying "cruft" should be a thoughtcrime.
>>>      
>>>
>>Yes, it's offensive. The term does matter, as a term carries
>>connotations that a simple act does not.
>>    
>>
>Again, what connotations does "cruft" carry other than something  
>being low-quality or otherwise worthy of deletion?
>
The connotation that anything contributed by the person who put the 
material there is worthless.

Ec