Talk:Tech/News/2024/47

Details about the "User:Red link example" entry

Hello @Pigsonthewing, thank you for your entry about User:Red link example in the recent Tech News. Can you provide a phabricator ticket for this work and, if possible, more context about this entry? I don't know if it belongs to Tech News. UOzurumba (WMF) (talk) 04:18, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

There is no Phabricator ticket. I'm unclear what additional context you desire. I'm also unclear why you would think this does not belong in tech news. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 08:10, 16 November 2024 (UTC)

I was hoping there will be a page where people can read about the creation and global locking of the User:Red link example and why the decision was made. I saved it for the next Tech News edition. UOzurumba (WMF) (talk) 23:15, 18 November 2024 (UTC)

Actually, I still do not understand what exactly changed glibally. IKhitron (talk) 11:46, 19 November 2024 (UTC)

The purpose of writing the entry for Tech News was precisely so that people can read about the creation and global locking of the User:Red link example and why the decision was made. I am unclear as to why you have delayed that from happening. I also note that, while you have removed wheat I wrote from the current issue, you have not - despite saying that you have "saved it for the next Tech News edition" - added it to the draft for the next. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 12:07, 19 November 2024 (UTC)

Exactly. What do you mean by "global locking"? IKhitron (talk) 13:24, 19 November 2024 (UTC)

Global locks. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 15:22, 19 November 2024 (UTC)

I'm unclear how people can learn why the decision was made from the entry. The only words about that is "for use in documentation and testing".

Which documentation is using it? Who's gonna use it for testing? What's the test for? Why testing with this method? Cookai🍪 _(💬talk) 19:06, 19 November 2024 (UTC)

It appears this account was requested at (archived) Meta:Requests for help from a sysop or bureaucrat/Archives/2024-11#Protection of User:Red link example.

@Pigsonthewing I understand the good intent (using it in template-documentation, for example), however, there are number of problems with it:

• The account only exists at 2 wikis: Enwiki and Meta-wiki, hence this is definitely not suitable for Tech News at the moment. Special:CentralAuth/Red_link_example. Admins cannot block an account which doesn't exist! [Edit: Struck, my mistake]
• The account-name is only in English, so it isn't relevant to the vast majority of wikis, who would probably want localized variants.
• After existing for over a week, the account is not currently used (linked-to) from any documentation at Enwiki yet (user and user_talk), so it's hard for people to easily see and adapt from examples, or to understand why this is worth the attention of thousands of Tech News readers in a multitude of languages.

I would suggest following up by:

1. Using the existing demo-account that you've created, as you envision it being used, in some examples at Enwiki.
2. Then, once you have clear examples to link to, and especially if those examples are pertinent to non-English wikis, (or even just clearly applicable to the handful of English/Multilingual wikis) then file a phabricator task with a suggestion to usurp this private-account as an official system account which could be used for these (#1) example documentation purposes on many wikis; I imagine that system-account could be automatically registered and auto-protected at all wikis (and recurringly in the future) thus removing the need for you to manually re-login and visit each new wiki that is created in the future.
3. Additionally, I would hesitantly suggest not b/locking the account anywhere, as many editors use scripts that automatically strikeout the names of blocked accounts, and this would make it harder/distracting to read within documentation.
4. It might help to note in the Phabricator task, why it is useful to have an actual account, versus just red-styled plain text (i.e. simpler solutions), which I believe has been used elsewhere in circumstances like this.

I hope these notes are helpful. Quiddity (WMF) (talk) 00:17, 22 November 2024 (UTC)

Your comment is based on fundamental misunderstandings. The account is Glocked; it cannot be created in any additional wikis. Admins are not being asked to block it, but to protect its user and user-talk pages. Red-styled text is not at all useful for testing modules or templates which react differently depending on whether or not a user or user-talk page exists. User:Example, also named in English, has existed without issue since May 2013, and has a similar profile at Special:CentralAuth/Example. The claim that this is not suitable for Tech News is apparently based on these false premises and is made without foundation. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 15:21, 22 November 2024 (UTC)

@UOzurumba (WMF): Although you said "I saved it for the next Tech News edition", it does not in fact appear in the new edition. Why is that? Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 22:57, 25 November 2024 (UTC)

Hi Andy. There are a few people who regularly lead the editing of the Tech News newsletter. This week it was me.

As I noted above (with one incorrect detail, now struck out, my apologies for that) I don't believe this proposed entry is suitable for Tech News, because it is English-centric, and I see it is already protected at a handful of English/Multilingual projects where you requested it, but it seems to still only used in a single template at Enwiki, all of which indicates that it is not vitally important for every other wiki to be aware of or take action on. It seems more pragmatic to continue on as you have been already, with manual protection requests on wikis where you presumably plan to eventually use it yourself.

I thank you for the submission, and hope that rationale makes sense. Quiddity (WMF) (talk) 17:48, 26 November 2024 (UTC)

It makes no sense whatsoever, as I made clear in my comment under your previous post, to which (other than striking one of the several misunderstandings which I highlighted) you did not give the courtesy of a response - and where you appeared to be expressing an opinion rather than imposing a decision.

I most certainly do not have the resource to individually request protection on the 300+ wikis where this is available for use by anyone who wishes to use it.

I naively took User:UOzurumba (WMF) at their word. Lesson learned.

Someone should update the Tech News guidance notes to clarify that this kind of arbitrary veto is in operation. I note that you are using your WMF account; so that aspect, too needs to be mentioned. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 18:00, 26 November 2024 (UTC)