Topic on Template talk:Main page

Wording and style suggestions for frontpage

9
JCrespo (WMF) (talkcontribs)

I have some suggestions of minor changes to the frontpage:

https://www.mediawiki.org/w/index.php?title=User%3AJCrespo_%28WMF%29%2Fmain_page&type=revision&diff=3550799&oldid=3550760

Mine are not that great, and very open to discussion, but I think it improves a bit the searching of information (what I think is important can be certainly argued against, and I may be showing my biases, despite trying to think on "new users first"). As a problem I had, I tried to look for "how to start coding?" link and was unable to find it, despite knowing it was here.

CC @AKlapper (WMF).

AKlapper (WMF) (talkcontribs)

@JCrespo (WMF): Thanks! I can offer my feedback but note that I don't see myself as some gatekeeper or maintainer here. I agree with nearly all changes, except for the last one where I'm not sure if "How to start contributing to Wikimedia" is more guiding: My main intention might not be to "contribute" something, but to get hands on some code and find a project for that. ("Contribute" always felt vague to me as it can mean so many things - contribute food? thoughts? money? code?)

AKlapper (WMF) (talkcontribs)

(Oh wait, I realize that maybe editing that page requires some special permissions maybe?)

JCrespo (WMF) (talkcontribs)

> requires some special permissions maybe

Indeed it does, I cannot edit it directly.

> Choose a software project to hack on

That is confusing to me. I agree my suggestion is not ok either. I would be happy to have a better 3 option. Something in the vein of "Start coding <something>" or something that doesn't include "hack" (no problem for me with it, but I think its confusing for newcomers) and that is not "choose", something more explicit in a couple of words.

AKlapper (WMF) (talkcontribs)

@JCrespo (WMF) "Start working on the code of a project", maybe? (I don't dare currently to make the other edits because as usual, I don't understand all that <translate> markup, sigh.)

JCrespo (WMF) (talkcontribs)

"Start coding for a Wikimedia project"? (shorter)

Quiddity (WMF) (talkcontribs)

I've added the bolding and the link-label change.

However changing the 3 "Learn ..." links is much more complicated, because currently the existing translations are embedded within link-syntax, hence if we did something like this, then the previously translated text would end up without any links until a translator noticed the problem (in each language). [IIUC]. -- It's especially problematic here because the system doesn't seem to be rendering the pink-background color for outdated sections, as it's meant to.

AKlapper (WMF) (talkcontribs)

Thanks for your help, Quiddity! (And JCrespo for the improvements!)

JCrespo (WMF) (talkcontribs)

Thanks, I am happy as it is now! Thanks both!