LiquidThreads 3.0

Status
2011-01-21 - During the first quarter of 2011, LiquidThreads is undergoing a major re-engineering process, that is encompassing both its user interface and its architecture.

The updates will include:
 * Substantial updates to the database schema, code layout, and object model.
 * A re-conceptualisation of the user interface.

All code work will be fully documented before and during development. While some documents are being worked on internally, many are being worked on at MediaWiki.org to allow all developers to participate in the re-engineering process. All documentation will eventually become public at this site, regardless of where it is being developed.

Feature justification
Currently, MediaWiki discussion pages are unstructured free-form Wikitext pages. There are many disadvantages to this system, including but not limited to:


 * Lack of obvious threading
 * Lack of consistent user identification
 * Lack of intelligent archiving
 * Lack of sorting
 * High difficulty for new/inexperienced users to engage in discussions
 * Inability to "watch" specific discussions; user must watch entire page (which may be sub-optimal).

With LiquidThreads, we attempt to solve these problems while bringing new features to the table:


 * A more "standard" approach to threaded discussions, greatly enhancing the ability for new users to engage. This feature includes:
 * Replies are nested within discussions
 * Automatic signing of posts
 * A single "reply to" button and other mechanisms to aid inexperienced users instead of simply throwing them into Wikitext.
 * User avatars
 * Ability to sort discussions by differing criteria
 * Individual discussions (and posts within the discussion) are treated as single pages (which potentially allows for categorization, individual watching/unwatching, etc.)
 * Automatic archiving: older discussions naturally "fall off" the visible page, retaining permanent links.

The ultimate goal of LiquidThreads is to encourage community health, editor participation, and editor retention.

Software design document

 * Backend update document at /2011 backend updates.

Object model
Object model documentation is out of date; will be updated in the next few days.

User interface design docs

 * See Extension:LiquidThreads/Redesign.

Task management

 * Bugzilla: Open issues on "LiquidThreads" component
 * Bugzilla: Deploy LiquidThreads when ready.