Requests for Comment/Enable Semantic MediaWiki configuration

Semantic MediaWiki is a powerful extension that helps users to search, organise, tag, browse, evaluate, and share a wiki's content. While traditional wikis contain only text which computers can neither understand nor evaluate, SMW adds semantic annotations that allow a wiki to function as a collaborative database. The wiki hosting service Referata has SMW and specializes in it, so should Miraheze.

Support

 * 1)  as proposer. Joey717 (talk) 07:23, 14 August 2018 (UTC)
 * 2)  It’s a good idea in principle - however I think a survey should be conducted as to how many currently active wikis would desire to have SMW before we install it. Also I don’t think that we should install it globally - rather it should be on a per-wiki basis. Whether or not it would be compatible with ManageWiki or if it would need to be coded in the GitHub repo is irrelevant to me. Amanda Catherine (talk) 12:57, 14 August 2018 (UTC)
 * 3) nice extension :)  Psl631  (Let's Chat!) 12:04, 27 August 2018 (UTC)
 * 4)  assuming it is by opt-in.  Proposer states that it is a technology that a competing website host offers.  But I personally do not want to use it nor to have to learn changes to how to edit pages.  I am here to write text, not to devise a database for automated processing.  We should accommodate other users that have goals for their wikis that SMW would assist.  Also, it seems there is a "compatibility mode" that avoids breaking other software packages; this should be available or the default.   19:02 27-Aug-2018

Oppose

 * 1)  Well, I certainly am welcoming to new features, I don’t want Semantic MediaWiki because it can possibly cause a mess on my wiki, or in other words, mess up my wiki, it could mix up the search, blah blah. Strong oppose i guess., said Fair002 in a statement. | Proxy IPs for blocking 02:54, 27 August 2018 (UTC)
 * 2)  I am not an expert in MediaWiki software and how its extensions interact with that software. I am aware that Semantic MediaWiki does heavily modify MediaWiki and I am basing this opposition of the word of system administrators who I believe are really the people that are holding the gavel in this case. They are the people with expertise in this sort of thing and in the past they have said no to this - so I am going to align my views with that of the experts. I don't really know why Semantic MediaWiki is not feasible but I would be open to being told as to why, for curiosity's sake. If Semantic MediaWiki could be enabled on request and doesn't have any serious consequences to the network and its users, I have the policy of "why not", but for now I am going to oppose this. &#32;  Miraheze Logo.svg CnocBride | Talk | Contribs  13:36, 24 August 2018 (UTC)
 * 3)  Actually, now that I think about it, we shouldn't do so. Page forms can work without SMW and there are alternatives (they still alter MW though, but not as bad as this). Joey717 (talk) 08:00, 28 August 2018 (UTC)

Abstain

 * 1) It's been declined here. It's also a technical issue that should rather be discussed on . Thus, for now, I'd like to remain abstained (or neutral, TBH).-- 07:25, 15 August 2018 (UTC)

Comments

 * Semantic MediaWiki has been declined previously on the basis that it “alters MediaWiki too much”. I do know that the extension does make serious changes to the software, however I think that it is workable, especially as long as we don’t enable it globally. The fact that Referata can manage with SMW enabled globally and is also a wiki farm (albeit using WikiGarden rather than CentralAuth) says something. Amanda Catherine (talk) 12:53, 14 August 2018 (UTC)
 * I do know that the extension does make serious changes to the software, however I think that it is workable, especially as long as we don’t enable it globally. I agree with that, to be fair. Joey717 (talk) 04:41, 15 August 2018 (UTC)