1.20wmf12 deployments begin on time despite turbulent 1.20wmf11 series
MediaWiki 1.19 was released in May this year, continuing a release series that started in December 2003
1.20wmf12, the 12th release to Wikimedia wikis from the 1.20 branch, was deployed to its first wikis on September 17; if things go well, it will be deployed to all wikis by September 26. Its 200 or so changes – 111 to WMF-deployed extensions plus 98 to core MediaWiki code – include support for links with mixed-case protocols (e.g. Http://example.com) and the removal of the "No higher resolution available" message on the file description pages of SVG images.
Those responsible for overseeing this latest series of deployments to Wikimedia wikis will be hoping for a smoother ride with wmf12 than wmf11, which started its deployment cycle two weeks ago and has been causing problems ever since. First it was Wikimedia Commons, where bug #40018 (describing the duplication of the "This file is from Wikimedia Commons" page) forced a temporary reversion to wmf10 on September 5. Then it was a breakage in the "blue star" (watch) facility, reported as bug #40103 and which caused a reversion to wmf10 lasting some 40 hours.
The later bug (as well as other, more minor issues) stem from the decision to update the version of jQuery packaged with MediaWiki from 1.7.2 to 1.8. However, while some problems with LiquidThreads remain, both of the major issues have since been resolved, and as a result all Wikimedia wikis were running wmf11 in time for the wmf12 series to begin in earnest.
Despite these difficulties, this series of events may serve to demonstrate the robustness of the new regular deployment schedule: the disruption caused by the deploy–revert pattern undertaken with wmf11 (a package of some 250 changes) has been far less than for almost any problematic deployment under the previous release scheme, when thousands of revisions were deployed and reverted at the same time. But inevitably the completeness of the current JavaScript regression testing regime is likely to be questioned in light of the issues experienced.
In related news, work on a release from the 1.20 branch suitable for use on external wikis (whose system administrators often do not want the disruption of fortnightly updates) resulted in two beta-releases this week (wikitech-l mailing list). Former bugmeister Mark Hershberger has taken on the role of overseeing the creation of a release based on the 1.20wmf11 branch. It will now receive only a limited number of updates to avoid introducing new bugs, ensuring the emergence of a stable product suitable for general distribution. Hershberger, who is involved with one such external wiki, reported that he is targeting an early October release date for 1.20.
Not all fixes may have gone live to WMF sites at the time of writing; some may not be scheduled to go live for several weeks.
HTML5 coming to wikis: As previewed in last week's "Technology report", HTML5 mode was enabled Wikimedia-wide on September 17. Overall, no immediate change to users' browsing or editing experience was expected – rather, the update was built to "future-proof" existing features and allow new ones (such as better video handling) to be developed – but small visual deficiencies were projected. As of the time of writing, only one problem has been reported – with text alignment in table cells. Any further problems can be reported on bugzilla.wikimedia.org (free registration required). HTML5 had already been successfully enabled on MediaWiki.org for some time on a trial basis.
Wikimedia wikis face no issues as European IPv4 space runs out: As widely reported across the world, the RIPE NCC became the second of the world's five regional internet registries (RIRs) to enter the final phase of the global scheme for handling IPv4 exhaustion. RIPE, which covers Europe and parts of the Middle East and Central Asia, joins APNIC (the Australasian registry) in the final stage of version 4 IP address distribution, whereby consumers of the addresses (of the form xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx) will only be able to register 1024 more, suggesting web providers should be prepared for a boom in the usage of version 6 addresses. Fortunately, as we reported in June, MediaWiki is more or less able to handle IPv6 addresses properly, and it is enabled on all Wikimedia wikis, though some users may want to update their user scripts and/or tools to accommodate the newer addresses as more providers adopt them. Other remaining issues include presentational concerns as well as the lack of a functional "range contributions" tool to facilitate the calculation of rangeblocks. Statistics suggest that IPv6 addresses account for some 50 million Wikimedia pageview requests daily.
Limn gains extra datasets, new developer: It was announced this week that Cornell graduate Dan Andreescu will be joining the Foundation's analytics team. Andreescu, a builder at heart, he says, will work on Limn, the WMF's new data visualisation and dashboard building toolkit, as well as a frontend for Kraken, its sister program focussing on data collation. Limn also surfaced this week as the chosen framework for a new Gerrit stats module; the module currently provides four time-series relating to code review via Gerrit). The Signpost hopes to publish its own investigation into the code-review backlog in the near future, responding to a request by WMF engineering community manager Sumana Harihareswara.
Wikipedia Redesigned, revisited: Following the publication of a controversial "redesign" of Wikipedia's main interface by brand consultancy NewIsNew back in early August, one Wikimedian has now turned the design into a rough-and-ready gadget on the German Wikipedia. The gadget is likely to spur renewed interest in the design, which was criticised at the time for a lack of attention to internationalisation and multilingual issues – considerations that factor heavily in current MediaWiki thinking.
An entry in the 2012 Wiki Loves Monuments competition: the ruins and the palace of Merkenstein at Gainfarn in Lower Austria. The palace is thought to have been constructed in the 12th century; in 1683 it was occupied by Ottoman troops and destroyed. Beethoven dedicated two songs to the ruin.
WLM reaches halfway point
The world's largest photo competition, Wiki Loves Monuments (WLM), is entering its final two weeks. The month-long event, of Dutch origin, is being held globally for the first time after the success of its European-level predecessor last year. During September 2011 more than 5000 volunteers from 18 countries took part and uploaded 168,208 free images (finalists and winners). This year, volunteers and chapters from 35 countries around the world have organised the event. The best photographs will be determined by juries at the national and finally the global level.
This submission from Estonia is one of four WLM-2012 photos that are already featured on Commons.The Cathedral of Peter and Paul in the great Russian city of St Petersburg. This building, in the neo-Byzantine style, was designed by Nikolay Syltanov, the informal leader of the Russian Revival, and was built in 1894–1905 by Vasily KosyakovThis WLM-photo of Fort Metal Cross in Ghana has already been used in the related German Wikipedia article.The ruins of the abbatial church of a former Cistercian abbey that was destroyed in 1794, Gozée, BelgiumPart of the ceiling of the Museum of the Colegiate of Santa María la Mayor, Calatayud, Spain
Halfway through September, Spain leads the field by uploads, with more than 23,500 files submitted. Poland, with nearly 18,000 uploads, has overtaken Germany with around 16,000 submissions, and France, with 13,000. The Czech Republic and Ukraine (both around 7000), India (8000), and the US (9000) are heading the broader field.
The competition, which is advertised in banners on every WMF site accessed in participating countries, is designed to appeal to the broader readership as well as Wikimedia volunteers. People from countries that do not take part can participate if they submit photos of monuments in countries that are playing a role in this year's competition.
FDC members announced
On September 15, the membership of the volunteer-run Funds Dissemination Committee (FDC) was announced. The seven volunteers will look at applications by Wikimedia organisations, chapters, and the WMF itself (the "entities"), to recommend how $11.4M of donors' funds should be distributed.
The FDC is the key component of Wikimedia's shift to a grant-making finance model, aimed at lifting transparency and accountability. To date, only six Wikimedia organisations, including the WMF itself, meet the transparency requirements for previous fiscal years and are eligible to apply for FDC funding of their operations; a further 12 chapters may gain eligibility if they act before the end of this month. The entities' applications for funding will be reviewed openly on Meta, and the community will be able to take part in the proceedings. The seven voting committee members will bring a wide range of experience and qualifications:
Arjuna Rao Chavala is an experienced manager in both the public and private sector, whose term as the chairman of the Indian Wikimedia chapter ends next month. He has degrees in electronic and communications engineering, computer science, and management, and is currently focusing on open-source development.
Dariusz Jemielniak is a tenured associate professor of management, with a track record of research collaboration with Cornell, Harvard, and UC Berkeley. He is a Wikimedia steward from Poland.
Ali Haidar Khan is a credit analyst from Dhaka and treasurer of the Bangladesh chapter. He was a member of the working group advising on the design of the FDC.
Mike Peel is a former chair and the current secretary of the UK chapter. He has a PhD in astrophysics and is a postdoctoral researcher at Jodrell Bank in the UK. He is the only voting committee member to hold relevant office in an entity that is potentially eligible to apply for FDC funds.
Yuri Perohanych has degrees in data processing and economics, and a masters in international law; he is a general director of a Ukrainian NGO. Perohanych has been involved in Wikimedia Ukraine since its creation and is its executive director.
Sydney Poore, from the US, has served on the FDC working group and has been a member of the WMF's ombudsman commission on privacy since 2011. She is involved in the GLAM consortium and was an English Wikipedia arbitrator from 2007 to 2009.
Anders Wennersten is a former senior manager at the Swedish telecom company Ericsson. He has served on the WMF board committees for auditing (2009–10) and chapters (now the affiliations committee) 2008–10. He was treasurer of Wikimedia Sweden between 2007 and 2009 and is now a member of that chapter's election committee.
The WMF board will be represented on the FDC by two non-voting members: expert trustee Jan-Bart de Vreede, from the Netherlands, and chapter-selected trustee Patricio Lorente of Argentina. In case of complaints by participating organisations about the FDC process or results, the two trustee members will liaise with the ombudsperson in looking at the dispute. Susana Morais, an industrial designer from Portugal who has worked in communications, will be the ombudsperson. She will be responsible for supporting complaints investigations and will publish an annual report to the board that documents and summarises complaints.
The durations of members' terms are not yet clear. In mid-2013, the community will elect two additional members in conjunction with the upcoming WMF community-trustee elections. Committee and community alike can review applications for FDC funding from October 1 (master timeline).
These appointments to the FDC give it a wide range of language abilities: native-speaking ability in English, Swedish, Telugu, Bangla, Ukrainian, Dutch, Spanish, and Polish; full professional proficiency in Russian and Norwegian, professional working proficiency in Hindi and Danish, limited working proficiency in German, Tamil, and Malayalam, and elementary proficiency in French. Susana Morais, the ombudsperson, is a native-speaker of Portuguese, has professional working proficiency in English and German, and limited working proficiency in Spanish and Mandarin.
In brief
English Wikipedia:
Pending Changes: The first Request for Comment on Pending Changes since May has closed. This one concerned Pending Changes Level 2, a proposed form of page protection meant to be less restrictive than full protection but more than semi-protection. The closer, The Blade of the Northern Lights, found that supporters argued that it may be useful against persistent sockpuppets and may allow the removal of full protection from some pages "prone to problematic edits", and also found that opposers argued that it was too complex, that it would create a new hierarchy among editors, and that it was not preferable to existing forms of page protection. He concluded: "Given all of this, I would have to say the result is no consensus, which would default to not using PC level 2 for the time being. We will leave discussions about PC level 2 until we have used PC level 1 as a community for 3–6 months. By then, we will have a better idea of how PC works, and people can work out a policy and come up with/adjust their views in accordance with that." His full opinion, and a good explanation of both levels of Pending Changes protection, can be found at the Request for Comment page. Attention is now turning to an upcoming Request for Comment on Pending Changes Level 1.
US Wikimedia Federation: Between September 17 and October 1, interested users can comment on the bylaw proposals of the US Wikimedia Federation. The proposed organisation would promote cooperation between subnational chapters in metropolitan areas of the US—currently the chapters in New York City and Washington DC, and the work of non-incorporated groups like the Wikimedians in New England, centred around the Boston meetups. The entity under review, if established, would replace the informal WALRUS committee, which helped among other things to organise the Great American Wiknic. Belarus, home to most speakers of Belarusian; the Belarusian Wikipedia has reached 50,000 articles.
Milestone: The Belarusian Wikipedia has reached 50,000 articles, partially due to 2,200 new bot-created articles about municipalities in Italy. Belarusian is an East Slavic language closely related to Russian and Ukrainian. It is spoken by about nine million people, and is the official language of Belarus and certain areas in Poland, as well as a recognized minority language of Ukraine.
Affiliations Committee spending: On September 16, the WMF Affiliations Committee, which governs the process of Wikimedia entities to formal recognition by the WMF, has published its treasurer and spending authorisation resolution.
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