Wikipedia talk:Wikipedia Signpost/Single/2010-03-29

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The following is an automatically-generated compilation of all talk pages for the Signpost issue dated 2010-03-29. For general Signpost discussion, see Wikipedia talk:Signpost.

Features and admins: Approved this week (329 bytes · 💬)

The delist link is redlinked --Jubilee♫clipman 19:34, 31 March 2010 (UTC)

In the news: Overdue correction, Critical Point of View conference, brief headlines (1,443 bytes · 💬)

So if we're so inaccurate and unreliable, how can someone explain that we are now the ONLY modern reference work that has an accurate article on the Rhine River? かんぱい！ Scapler (talk) 23:44, 31 March 2010 (UTC)

Well, we aren't totally inaccurate and unreliable. Airplaneman ✈ 00:51, 1 April 2010 (UTC)

Maybe at a close enough granularity, the longer value is also correct. Shoreline length versus navigation transit distance? 99.27.201.226 (talk) 03:46, 1 April 2010 (UTC)

I first thought of the coastline paradox too, but apparently the length of a river is never measured along its banks, but along its middle line (however defined), where that would not apply.

It is clear that such a length can only be measured (or even defined) approximately, see also List_of_rivers_by_length#Definition_of_length. And Kremer also admitted that his own measurement could be a few kilometers off. But it seems that such inaccuracies cannot amount to 90 km.

Regards, HaeB (talk) 04:04, 1 April 2010 (UTC)

News and notes: Usability rollout, downtime, admin phishing, Wikimania scholarships and more (6,020 bytes · 💬)

Will monobook still be an option after the switch over, or am I going to have to relearn where everything is all over again like I do every time Microsoft updates its software? I like the default version and I am really not looking forward to the change, but I see no indication that the old version (or should I say the current version since the switchover hasn't happened yet) will remain an option for the editors. TomStar81 (Talk) 21:53, 31 March 2010 (UTC)

The article said that Vector will become the default skin - not that it will become the only skin.

According to the announcement, Monobook will still be available: "Logged-in users will have the option to return to the classic functionality using a one-click process."

Regards, HaeB (talk) 22:08, 31 March 2010 (UTC)

I'd say it's about time for a change...not that I really like Vector anyway. I'd still be using Monobook. bibliomaniac15 23:08, 31 March 2010 (UTC)

If you log in and go to "my preferences" and then "appearances", there are many skins to choose from, including the old "classic" which was pre-monobook. So I expect they'll keep monobook around :) You can also preview the vector skin by selecting it. It's not a major change -- the search box moves, etc. -- phoebe / (talk to me) 04:52, 1 April 2010 (UTC)

How much have the various gadgets and scripts been tested with Vector? If the ones I use don't work, then I'll be sticking to Monbook -- PhantomSteve/talk|contribs\ 13:31, 2 April 2010 (UTC)

All the gadgets have been tested and most of the popular scripts have already been converted months ago. If you have a tool that is not yet working, report it on WP:VP/T and someone will probably take care of it. —TheDJ (talk • contribs) 14:41, 2 April 2010 (UTC)

• Jay Leno also joked about Wikipedia overheating in one of his monologues. Needless to say, noone was laughing at his lame jokes. [1] -- œ^™ 23:44, 31 March 2010 (UTC)

• "For a while there, people had nowhere to go for phony, inaccurate information." Really Jay, that was the best you could do? How about: "The server was allegedly located in Amsterdam, which is the capital of Italy"?

• From the message these "freedom fighters" sent out... "We are currently expanding our portfolio of administrator accounts and perhaps you could consider sharing yours with us - to do so will take you only two minutes: change the password (if desired) and then reply to this email with your login details. We'll do the rest!" This... worries me considerably. They already have access to some admin accounts? ALI ^{nom nom} 16:25, 1 April 2010 (UTC)

• Maybe. Some believe that due to the large number of people contacted (there are about 1400 people with Admin rights on en.wikipedia) it is inevitable that at least a few fell for this. Others (including me) believe that everyone who gained Admin rights are the type of person who would not send their password to a stranger. In any case, this wording is typical salespeak -- make it sound as if others have taken the bait, so the mark is comforted by numbers -- so it isn't definite proof of anything. -- llywrch (talk) 17:12, 1 April 2010 (UTC)

• Well, that was apparently in one of the original emails. I don't know. Who would be crazy enough to do something like this? What are they trying to do? ...Eh, it probably doesn't matter. ALI ^{nom nom} 17:28, 1 April 2010 (UTC)

According to Special:Statistics, there are ~1700 accounts with administrator access. -FASTILY_sock^(TALK) 22:41, 1 April 2010 (UTC)

Maybe it's because I'm a new admin, and so not jaded and cynical (!) but I've not heard from the freedom fighters... -- PhantomSteve/talk|contribs\ 13:31, 2 April 2010 (UTC)

There are at least a few admins who did not receive these messages; I don't think there's any systematic way to know how many of the admins got them. There appear to be many who did and a few who did not, with no special pattern. -- phoebe / (talk to me) 00:13, 3 April 2010 (UTC)

I never got these messages, however I do know that they were sent out previously. Not everyone has email on, of course. Rich Farmbrough, 19:30, 4 April 2010 (UTC).

Sister projects: A handful of happenings (700 bytes · 💬)

Why is this page referred to as "sister projects"? It has always been categorized as milestones under "News and notes". OhanaUnited^{Talk page} 17:09, 5 April 2010 (UTC)

I suppose a clever editor noticed that by moving this material to Sister Projects, which is a semi-irregular feature at bet, you avoid redlinks in next/previous navbars for the feature. Circéus (talk) 11:35, 6 April 2010 (UTC)