How to deal with greed-motivated documentation suppression on mediawiki.org?
Read this for some background:
- http://old.nabble.com/Why-you-will-regret-asking-SMW-people-about-paid-support-tt32122897.html
- http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension_talk:Semantic_Forms#removing_detailed_examples_requires_people_to_annoy_developers_for_basic_help
The short version:
- Developers demand $100+ per hour for support, which mere mortals can't afford.
- Developers delete mediawiki.org documentation for basic tasks that eliminate the need for support on simple stuff.
- Strong backlash against documentation writers that protest.
How do I deal with this? Am I wrong about this somehow? I am very upset and frustrated...
- After reading the sections above it sounds like you need assistance understanding some of the concept and how to do some development. ($100+/hour is a really good rate for software development support)
- There is very helpful documentation in the Help namespace: Help:Contents
- I think the backlash is because you are being a jerk.
I'm sorry my documentation makes it so people get an even better rate for support ($0/eternity).
You're just going to have to do real work that requires talented effort to EARN your enormous $100 per hour fee. There's no money for basic tasks like uploading files anymore. Are you afraid of fair competition from me? Does that make me a jerk?
I have never come across anyone that charges a fee for their contributions to this project...although very few portions of the project do receive funding from grants or are commissioned to develop something specific and complicated, but this is not very common. The community contributes to continue the development and forward progression of the project...most people here are "for the love of the game" players (including myself), not "show me the money" players. Please keep in mind...in most cases, this is a person's hobby, not their job. This is not a competition, it is a group effort..."collaboration" is the name of the game.
My proclamation of you being a jerk is because you are being a jerk. The MW/SMW community does not only revolve around your needs, this is because it is a community. If you have a requirement that is not fulfilled by an extension then write (and document) a new extension or add-on to an existing extension. There is a Developer hub just for learning how to do this. If the author does not happen to accept this patch/add-on then continue to patch it as new versions are released...no biggie.
Finally, I am sure if you did not act like such a jerk in the early stages of your online presence within the MW/SMW community other user, admins and developers would have assisted you with your questions with no resistance...I know this because it is how I learned.
--Dgennaro 15:50, 27 July 2011 (UTC)
I have no idea what you're talking about. I smell a red herring.
It seems the problem that prompted this has been resolved, now that there's a lot less resistance to the restored documentation. Still, this is a problem that can occur and reoccur in any project where the developers have a financial stake in ensuring that the documentation is inadequate.
The advice of someone NOT coming from the viewpoint of the SMW project is appreciated.
Does the Wikimedia Foundation have a policy about public documentation suppression for the purpose of private gain?
Of course they don't. You're being an idiot.
I'm not going to take you seriously if:
- your first words to me are an insult.
- you generally convey the idea that you disagree with me, but can't explain why.
- all of the above.
