Last modified: 2011-02-11 09:54:02 UTC
Wikibasha creates a code snippet like this - <!-- WikiBhasha v=1 time=2011-2-6:11:20:20:309--> at the bottom of the article everytime it is used to edit wikipedia pages. If a tracking mechanism is required to keep track of edits done using wikibasha, please add the code snippet in the edit summary instead of the article body. Adding such a signature to the bottom of the article is tantamount to claiming that the entire article is the work of wikibasha and If such a precedent is set for wikibasha then all automated tools (and editors) will start adding their code snippets, bloating the page with code signatures. If everyone (bots and editors) start doing this. We have had a lot of automated tools before and none do this signing. If a human editor did the same thing, it will be considered spamming at worst and insensitive at best. If a bot did it, its botflag will be removed immediately. Relevant discussions about this issue were started in en wiki village pump - http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia%3AVillage_pump_%28technical%29&action=historysubmit&diff=412346019&oldid=412341947 and the wikimedia India mailing list. Per advice from Siebrand Mazeland, i am opening this ticket too.
Thanks for raising this issue. I'll try to make sure someone takes a look at it.
We have temporarily fixed this issue (SVN revision number 81806) not to add any snippet in to the article. We are working on to get an appropriate right approach to track the changes that happen through WikiBhasha in Wikipedia.
The ext could use a db table to track the usage.
(In reply to comment #2) > SVN revision number 81806 Please just write "r81806" as this will magically create a link to the revision detials. (In reply to comment #3) > The ext could use a db table to track the usage. Yes and no. Yes if WikiBhasha were a true extension in that it implemented all its logic tied into MediaWiki on a PHP level, but it basically is a bunch of JavaScript where the extension part most just lets Special:Version know it's there. Ideally Wikimedia would have installed the extension (read: the JavaScript can be loaded from the trusted domain). That is something I will try and work towards in the coming months, hopefully getting support from one or more JavaScript jocks in the community and/or WMF.
WikiBhasha will prefix an identifier (‘<<WB.1.1>>’) to the edit summary content.
