User:Deltahedron
Why?
The future of mathematics editing on Wikipedia
It seems that the WMF is unable to provide resources for development of mathematics rendering and editing software on Wikipedia and that it will be dependent on volunteer effort [1]: indeed it seems that mathematics is not "on the roadmap for the foreseeable future" [2]. It also seems that WMF leadership and staff are quite happy with this situation. I find that hugely disappointing, not to say incomprehensible, and indeed personally I think it's quite insulting.
Mathematics is one of the oldest continuing human intellectual traditions, with a connected history of over two thousand years. It is fundamental to the sciences in general: no technological endeavour could succeed without it. It is an indispensible part of the sum of human knowledge. To suggest that it isn't important enough to allocate resources to, when WMF has over 200 staff and tens of millions of dollars at its disposal, is a decision I find both incomprehensible and potentially diastrous. It seems that WMF would rather allocate its resources to make it easier for readers to view the pornography on Commons than the formulae on Wikipedia. It certainly tells me that the views and values of WMF and myself are now radically divergent. I thought it was about the sum of human knowledge. Apparently that sum does not involve mathematics.
Given that mathematics is not on the roadmap, there must be a significant risk that mathematics rendering and editing will not be sustained: that changes made elsewhere in the software to support the changes towards the more modern user experience desired by the Board will degrade or just break mathematics editing or rendering unexpectedly and that resources will not be available to fix it. Of course, I don't know that's going to happen, I just see no reason for it not to, so there's no way I can affect that at present.
The nature and direction of WMF
The WMF have an annual income of some $50 million, and a staff of around 200. It seems that they can afford such software projects as Media Viewer, which more-or-less works, although it is deeply unpopular wth editors; Visual Editor, which is about half finished after only two years of planning and coding; and Flow, which is stalled and is having to be redesigned from its hugely over-ambitious original plans. They cannot afford to put any effort into mathematics: the mathematics component of VE was a student project, mathematics currently does not work under Flow.
WMF have a disturbing culture which combines lack of planning and documentation with lack of interest in volunteers. The result is poorly planned, poorly executed software. In my experience, attempts by the volunteer community to engage at an early stage have been met with reactions ranging from sympathetic inaction, through sulky hostility, to dishonesty. My attempts to engage in a rethink of the community processes have been derailed by the aggression of one particular staff member.
So what now?
The WMF Board desire a new direction for the WMF projects, and the Board chair is happy for us to leave [3]. I have come to the conclusion that this is the only way forward.
Anyone who is interesting in forking the mathematics content, possibly to Encyclopedia of Mathematics, is invited to contact me.
Articles
- Algebraic matroid
- Analytic subgroup theorem
- Arakawa–Kaneko zeta function
- Arithmetic number
- Barban–Davenport–Halberstam theorem (ß)
- Bauerian extension
- Biquaternion algebra
- Brauer–Wall group
- Casas-Alvero conjecture
- Conductor of an elliptic curve
- Critical exponent of a word
- Davenport constant
- Delone set
- Descartes number (ß)
- Diamond theorem
- Distribution (number theory)
- Éléments de mathématique
- Fabry gap theorem (ß)
- Factor system (ß)
- Genus of a quadratic form
- Gowers norm
- Hasse derivative (ß)
- Hasse invariant of an algebra (ß)
- Height zeta function
- Hilbert field
- Hurwitz problem
- Irrationality sequence
- Kneser's theorem
- Kneser's theorem (combinatorics)
- Lattice (module)
- Lehmer's totient problem
- Linearised polynomial
- Linked field
- Local language (formal language)
- Mahler's 3/2 problem
- Minkowski's second theorem
- Minkowski space (number field)
- Monoid factorisation
- Mordellic variety
- Morphic word
- Moufang set
- Multipartition
- Multiplicative sequence (ß)
- Mutation (algebra)
- Nagao's theorem (ß)
- Nevanlinna invariant
- Ostrowski numeration
- Perfectoid
- Potential good reduction
- Pseudo-canonical variety
- Pythagoras number
- Quadratically closed field
- Quaternionic structure
- Rational monoid
- Rational series
- Ruelle zeta function
- Sesquipower
- Siegel identity
- Spectrum of a sentence
- Spinor genus
- Splicing rule
- Steinberg symbol
- Superelliptic curve
- Symbol (mathematics)
- Theta group
- Turán's method (ß)
- U-invariant
- Unavoidable pattern
- Van der Corput's method (ß)
- Weak approximation
- Zimmert set
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