User talk:RoySmith/Archive 61
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Better pic of third rail tips at Valhalla
Roy,
Per your suggestion during peer review for Valhalla train crash, I took the opportunity during another trip down there in late March to take some new pictures. After shooting some with from the crossing itself, I realized a view from the side might make the point better.
So only yesterday did I get around to swapping it in. Do you think that works better? It's not the best quality image since it was a pretty overcast day and I was using my phone (I did take some DSLR pics that maybe I might be able to find a way to upload at some point), crouching in bushes by the side of the track. But it does show that wedge shape. Daniel Case (talk) 02:22, 6 June 2024 (UTC)
- Well, I'll certainly agree with "It's not the best quality image" :-) RoySmith (talk) 16:26, 6 June 2024 (UTC)
The Signpost: 8 June 2024
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Created something you could incorporate into DYK-Tools-Bot
Took me around 30 minutes to whip up User:GalliumBot#minos, which just looks for lost nominations (in Category:Pending DYK nominations that aren't transcluded to WP:DYKN or WP:DYKNA). I could get a whole BRFA to run it myself, but I think it'd probably be easier to create a tracking category/template for it and append it to what DYK-Tools-Bot already does? My source code is available at User:GalliumBot/minos/minos.py :) theleekycauldron (talk • she/her) 07:18, 9 June 2024 (UTC)
- Honestly, if you had the heart to make it retransclude the nominations, that'd be even better, but I am not feeling that. theleekycauldron (talk • she/her) 07:18, 9 June 2024 (UTC)
- Maybe. TBH, I found the whole WP:BAG process rather frustrating and unfriendly. I'm not enthused about going back there. RoySmith-Mobile (talk) 12:27, 9 June 2024 (UTC)
- Honestly, I did too, so fair enough. This is just an add-on to an already approved process, though – should be a cakewalk. theleekycauldron (talk • she/her) 21:57, 9 June 2024 (UTC)
- I'm also seem to be in a non-coding phase these days. I've been working my way through some of my old articles getting them up to GA or FA standards, and that's eating up most of my wiki-time. RoySmith (talk) 00:19, 10 June 2024 (UTC)
- Honestly, I did too, so fair enough. This is just an add-on to an already approved process, though – should be a cakewalk. theleekycauldron (talk • she/her) 21:57, 9 June 2024 (UTC)
- Maybe. TBH, I found the whole WP:BAG process rather frustrating and unfriendly. I'm not enthused about going back there. RoySmith-Mobile (talk) 12:27, 9 June 2024 (UTC)
Tech News: 2024-24
Latest tech news from the Wikimedia technical community. Please tell other users about these changes. Not all changes will affect you. Translations are available.
Recent changes
- The software used to render SVG files has been updated to a new version, fixing many longstanding bugs in SVG rendering. [1]
The HTML used to render all headings is being changed to improve accessibility. It was changed last week in some skins (Vector legacy and Minerva). Please test gadgets on your wiki on these skins and report any related problems so that they can be resolved before this change is made in Vector-2022. The developers are still considering the introduction of a Gadget API for adding buttons to section titles if that would be helpful to tool creators, and would appreciate any input you have on that.- The HTML markup used for citations by Parsoid changed last week. In places where Parsoid previously added the
mw-reference-textclass, Parsoid now also adds thereference-textclass for better compatibility with the legacy parser. More details are available. [2]
Problems
- There was a bug with the Content Translation interface that caused the tools menus to appear in the wrong location. This has now been fixed. [3]
Changes later this week
The new version of MediaWiki will be on test wikis and MediaWiki.org from 11 June. It will be on non-Wikipedia wikis and some Wikipedias from 12 June. It will be on all wikis from 13 June (calendar). [4][5]- The new version of MediaWiki includes another change to the HTML markup used for citations: Parsoid will now generate a
<span class="mw-cite-backlink">wrapper for both named and unnamed references for better compatibility with the legacy parser. Interface administrators should verify that gadgets that interact with citations are compatible with the new markup. More details are available. [6] - On multilingual wikis that use the
<translate>system, there is a feature that shows potentially-outdated translations with a pink background until they are updated or confirmed. From this week, confirming translations will be logged, and there is a new user-right that can be required for confirming translations if the community requests it. [7]
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MediaWiki message delivery 20:18, 10 June 2024 (UTC)
2O for a DYK
Hi RoySmith, would you be willing to give a 2O for DYK I have coming up? I'll send an email with the relevant extracts from the sources and my thoughts, please take a look if you're interested or ignore it if you're not. Thanks, Pahunkat (talk) 17:40, 14 June 2024 (UTC)
- Hi @Pahunkat, I'm happy to take a look. You asked about using "tourist destination" in the hook, and I agree with your concern. The source talks about inviting people to come visit the plant, but doesn't actually talk about tourism. I think going with ALT1 would be preferable. RoySmith (talk) 18:20, 14 June 2024 (UTC)
- Thanks for getting back. Alt 1 I'd change to "DYK that the Nabisco Shredded Wheat Factory was
so attractiveused as a marketing tool, with its image was printed on cereal packets until 1960", just so it better aligns with the sources. Now that I think about it, just "used as a marketing tool" is a decent hook in itself and it's taken straight from the book. - I'll raise this at WT:DYK, thanks for your help. Pahunkat (talk) 18:51, 14 June 2024 (UTC)
- Thanks for getting back. Alt 1 I'd change to "DYK that the Nabisco Shredded Wheat Factory was
Re: DYKFICTION
I've always thought the section on WP:DYKFICTION was far too ambiguous for me to make heads or tails of it. Can you do me a favor and take a glance at the hook here and let me know if you think it passes DYKFICTION? I feel like I still don't have a good grasp on this guideline. Viriditas (talk) 21:30, 15 June 2024 (UTC)
- To be honest, @Theleekycauldron is probably a better person to ask. RoySmith (talk) 22:02, 15 June 2024 (UTC)
- Thanks. Viriditas (talk) 22:07, 15 June 2024 (UTC)
In appreciation
|
The Premium Reviewer Barnstar | |
| By the authority vested in me by myself it gives me great pleasure to present you with this barnstar in recognition of the large number of thorough, detailed and actionable reviews you have carried out at FAC. This work is very much appreciated. Gog the Mild (talk) 16:48, 17 June 2024 (UTC) |
- @Gog the Mild thanks. Sometimes I feel like I'm being too harsh, so please let me know if I go overboard. RoySmith (talk) 16:53, 17 June 2024 (UTC)
- I can't say that I have noticed that, but if I do I shall. Gog the Mild (talk) 17:19, 17 June 2024 (UTC)
Tech News: 2024-25
Latest tech news from the Wikimedia technical community. Please tell other users about these changes. Not all changes will affect you. Translations are available.
Recent changes
- People who attempt to add an external link in the visual editor will now receive immediate feedback if they attempt to link to a domain that a project has decided to block. Please see Edit check for more details. [8]
- The new Community Configuration extension is available on Test Wikipedia. This extension allows communities to customize specific features to meet their local needs. Currently only Growth features are configurable, but the extension will support other Community Configuration use cases in the future. [9][10]
- The dark mode beta feature is now available on category and help pages, as well as more special pages. There may be contrast issues. Please report bugs on the project talk page. [11]
Problems
- Cloud Services tools were not available for 25 minutes last week. This was caused by a faulty hardware cable in the data center. [12]
- Last week, styling updates were made to the Vector 2022 skin. This caused unforeseen issues with templates, hatnotes, and images. Changes to templates and hatnotes were reverted. Most issues with images were fixed. If you still see any, report them here. [13]
Changes later this week
- The new version of MediaWiki will be on test wikis and MediaWiki.org from 18 June. It will be on non-Wikipedia wikis and some Wikipedias from 19 June. It will be on all wikis from 20 June (calendar). [14][15]
- Starting June 18, the Reference Edit Check will be deployed to a new set of Wikipedias. This feature is intended to help newcomers and to assist edit-patrollers by inviting people who are adding new content to a Wikipedia article to add a citation when they do not do so themselves. During a test at 11 wikis, the number of citations added more than doubled when Reference Check was shown to people. Reference Check is community configurable. [16]
- Mailing lists will be unavailable for roughly two hours on Tuesday 10:00–12:00 UTC. This is to enable migration to a new server and upgrade its software. [17]
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MediaWiki message delivery 23:46, 17 June 2024 (UTC)
Category:Historic buildings and structures in New York (state) has been nominated for deletion
Category:Historic buildings and structures in New York (state) has been nominated for deletion. A discussion is taking place to decide whether it complies with the categorization guidelines. If you would like to participate in the discussion, you are invited to add your comments at the category's entry on the categories for discussion page. Thank you. RevelationDirect (talk) 03:00, 23 June 2024 (UTC)
June 26: ONLINE WikiWednesday Salon NYC
| June 26: ONLINE WikiWednesday Salon NYC | |
|---|---|
 You are invited to join the Wikimedia NYC community for our Online-Only WikiWednesday Salon on Zoom. No experience of anything at all is required. All are welcome! This special online-only WikiWednesday will be dedicated to the Wikimedia Movement Charter referendum, and also to exploring future options of other online-centric events for our Wikimedia NYC chapter. All attendees are subject to Wikimedia NYC's Code of Conduct. Meeting info:
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--Wikimedia New York City Team via MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 15:24, 24 June 2024 (UTC)
Tech News: 2024-26
Latest tech news from the Wikimedia technical community. Please tell other users about these changes. Not all changes will affect you. Translations are available.
Recent changes
- Editors will notice that there have been some changes to the background color of text in the diff view, and the color of the byte-change numbers, last week. These changes are intended to make text more readable in both light mode and dark mode, and are part of a larger effort to increase accessibility. You can share your comments or questions on the project talkpage. [18]
- The text colors that are used for visited-links, hovered-links, and active-links, were also slightly changed last week to improve their accessibility in both light mode and dark mode. [19]
Problems
- You can copy permanent links to talk page comments by clicking on a comment's timestamp. This feature did not always work when the topic title was very long and the link was used as a wikitext link. This has been fixed. Thanks to Lofhi for submitting the bug. [20]
Changes later this week
- The new version of MediaWiki will be on test wikis and MediaWiki.org from 25 June. It will be on non-Wikipedia wikis and some Wikipedias from 26 June. It will be on all wikis from 27 June (calendar). [21][22]
- Starting 26 June, all talk pages messages' timestamps will become a link at English Wikipedia, making this feature available for you to use at all wikis. This link is a permanent link to the comment. It allows users to find the comment they were linked to, even if this comment has since been moved elsewhere. You can read more about this feature on Diff or on Mediawiki.org. [23]
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MediaWiki message delivery 22:30, 24 June 2024 (UTC)
Hi Roy, please can you take a look at Wikipedia:Featured article candidates/Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie/archive2 whenever you are less busy. Will appreciate your comments. Thanks. Safari ScribeEdits! Talk! 14:38, 29 June 2024 (UTC)
- I'll take a look, but probably won't be able to review it. Biographies are not really my thing, but thanks for the ping. RoySmith (talk) 20:35, 29 June 2024 (UTC)
First Punic War
Good evening Roy. Could I put a trifle of admin work your way? Would it be possible for you to take a look at the recent edits to First Punic War, and referee the ah, discussion? Thanks. Gog the Mild (talk) 21:50, 29 June 2024 (UTC)
- I have applied a Solomon-like solution :-) RoySmith (talk) 22:27, 29 June 2024 (UTC)
- @Gog the Mild just to clarify, The FA banner does say
if you can update or improve it, please do so
, and sometimes that means updates that are less than useful. As an admin, I'm supposed to stay out of content disputes. If this was clearly vandalism, I'd have no problem stepping in with a block or longer-term semi-protection for the page, but I don't think that applies here. I've added the article to my watchlist and I'll keep an eye on it, lets see what happens. RoySmith (talk) 15:55, 30 June 2024 (UTC)- That's fine by me Roy. Thanks for keeping an eye on it. I have no issues with the edits, I do with the ignoring BRD, among others. Gog the Mild (talk) 16:25, 30 June 2024 (UTC)
- @Gog the Mild just to clarify, The FA banner does say
Tech News: 2024-27
Latest tech news from the Wikimedia technical community. Please tell other users about these changes. Not all changes will affect you. Translations are available.
Recent changes
- Over the next three weeks, dark mode will become available for all users, both logged-in and logged-out, starting with the mobile web version. This fulfils one of the top-requested community wishes, and improves low-contrast reading and usage in low-light settings. As part of these changes, dark mode will also work on User-pages and Portals. There is more information in the latest Web team update. [24]
- Logged-in users can now set global preferences for the text-size and dark-mode, thanks to a combined effort across Foundation teams. This allows Wikimedians using multiple wikis to set up a consistent reading experience easily, for example by switching between light and dark mode only once for all wikis. [25]
- If you use a very old web browser some features might not work on the Wikimedia wikis. This affects Internet Explorer 11 and versions of Chrome, Firefox and Safari older than 2016. This change makes it possible to use new CSS features and to send less code to all readers. [26][27]
- Wikipedia Admins can customize local wiki configuration options easily using Community Configuration. Community Configuration was created to allow communities to customize how some features work, because each language wiki has unique needs. At the moment, admins can configure Growth features on their home wikis, in order to better recruit and retain new editors. More options will be provided in the coming months. [28]
- Editors interested in language issues that are related to Unicode standards, can now discuss those topics at a new conversation space in MediaWiki.org. The Wikimedia Foundation is now a member of the Unicode Consortium, and the coordination group can collaboratively review the issues discussed and, where appropriate, bring them to the attention of the Unicode Consortium.
- One new wiki has been created: a Wikipedia in Mandailing (
w:btm:) [29]
Problems
- Editors can once again click on links within the visual editor's citation-preview, thanks to a bug fix by the Editing Team. [30]
Future changes
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MediaWiki message delivery 23:57, 1 July 2024 (UTC)
Your GA nomination of Robert Weinberg (urban planner)
Hi there, I'm pleased to inform you that I've begun reviewing the article Robert Weinberg (urban planner) you nominated for GA-status according to the criteria. 
This process may take up to 7 days. Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments you might have during this period. Message delivered by ChristieBot, on behalf of Pbritti -- Pbritti (talk) 23:24, 3 July 2024 (UTC)
Hi there, I'm pleased to inform you that I've begun reviewing the article Big Duck you nominated for GA-status according to the criteria. This process may take up to 7 days. Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments you might have during this period. Message delivered by ChristieBot, on behalf of Chiswick Chap -- Chiswick Chap (talk) 05:23, 4 July 2024 (UTC)
The Signpost: 4 July 2024
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The article Big Duck you nominated as a good article has passed 
; see Talk:Big Duck for comments about the article, and Talk:Big Duck/GA1 for the nomination. Well done! If the article is eligible to appear in the "Did you know" section of the Main Page, you can nominate it within the next seven days. Message delivered by ChristieBot, on behalf of Chiswick Chap -- Chiswick Chap (talk) 18:01, 4 July 2024 (UTC)
Administrators' newsletter – July 2024
News and updates for administrators from the past month (June 2024).
Administrator changes
Technical news
- Local administrators can now add new links to the bottom of the site Tools menu without using JavaScript. Documentation is available on MediaWiki. (T6086)
Miscellaneous
- The Community Wishlist is re-opening on 15 July 2024. Read more