IT Development/This wiki

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IT Development
Main pageInfrastructureDocumentation / ToolsPortfolioTechnology CommitteeProject requests

The main WMUK website, this wiki, is currently hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation, which has certain advantages and disadvantages. There is a possibility of moving it to WMUK hosting in late 2012 / early 2013; this page sets out the pros and cons of doing so, such that an informed decision can be made. Please add pros and cons below, or discuss on the talk page!

Pros

  • More configurability
    • Can finally fix the issues with interwikis (no more w: vs wikipedia: confusion?)
    • Can finally fix that 'A Wikimedia project' linking to the WMF (see the right-hand side of the footer)
    • Can finally fix the error 404 pages (see [1])
    • Much easier to install new extensions
  • More control over content
    • Can grant/remove bureaucrat status as needed without having to ask stewards
    • Can oversight content ourselves as needed
  • More control over privacy
    • Information about those accessing this wiki would no longer be available to WMF
    • We would be able to access general statistics about visitors, in particular geographic distribution and search terms that result in visitors to this wiki
  • Reduces risk of confusing WMUK with WMF?
  • No more confusion with uk.wikipedia.org?
  • When WMF sites go down, this wiki will continue working

Cons

  • No Single User Login
    • This is a/the major issue. Can we work with WMF to make SUL available to external wikis?
  • Have to update software ourselves, rather than this being done automatically by the WMF
  • Impedes close working with the foundation, other chapters etc.?
  • If our server(s) go(es) down, so does the wiki (More likely than the WMF's sites going down because they have more resources at their disposal)

Decision