User talk:SGrabarczuk (WMF)/sandbox

The Vector 2022 skin as the default in two weeks?
Hello. I'm writing on behalf of the Wikimedia Foundation Web team. In two weeks, we would like to make the Vector 2022 skin the default on this wiki.

We have been working on it for the past three years. So far, it has been the default on more than 30 wikis, including sister projects, all accounting for more than 1 billion pageviews per month. On average 87% of active logged-in users of those wikis use Vector 2022.

It would become the default for all logged-out users, and also all logged-in users who currently use Vector legacy. Logged-in users can at any time switch to any other skins. No changes are expected for users of these skins.

About the skin
[Why is a change necessary] The current default skin meets the needs of the readers and editors as these were 13 years ago. Since then, new users have begun using Wikimedia projects. The old Vector doesn't meet their needs.

[Objective] The objective for the new skin is to make the interface more welcoming and comfortable for readers and useful for advanced users. It draws inspiration from previous requests, the Community Wishlist Surveys, and gadgets and scripts. The work helped our code follow the standards and improve all other skins. We reduced PHP code in Wikimedia deployed skins by 75%. The project has also focused on making it easier to support gadgets and use APIs.

[Changes and test results] The skin introduces a series of changes that improve readability and usability. The new skin does not remove any functionality currently available on the Vector skin.


 * The sticky header makes it easier to find tools that editors use often. It decreases scrolling to the top of the page by 16%.
 * The new table of contents makes it easier to navigate to different sections. Readers and editors jumped to different sections of the page 50% more than with the old table of contents. It also looks a bit different on talk pages.
 * The new search bar is easier to find and makes it easier to find the correct search result from the list. This increased the amount of searches started by 30% on the wikis we tested on.
 * The skin does not negatively affect pageviews, edit rates, or account creation. There is evidence of increases in pageviews and account creation across partner communities.

[Try it out] Try out the new skin by going to the appearance tab in your preferences and selecting Vector 2022 from the list of skins.

How can editors change and customize this skin?
It's possible to configure and personalize our changes. We support volunteers who create new gadgets and user scripts. Check out our repository for a list of currently available customizations, or add your own.

Our plan
If no large concerns are raised, we plan on deploying in the week of October 3, 2022. If your community would like to request more time to discuss the changes, hit the button and write to us. We can adjust the calendar.

Request for more time to discuss the change Also, if you'd like ask our team anything, if you have questions, concerns, or additional thoughts, please ping me here or write on the talk page of the project. We will also gladly answer! See our FAQ. Thank you! SGrabarczuk (WMF) (talk) 04:05, 22 September 2022 (UTC)

Update on Vector 2022
Hey everyone. I'm sorry for not communicating in your language. I'm writing on behalf of the Web team working on the new skin, Vector 2022.

We wanted to apologize for the delays in the deployment of Vector 2022. We know many of you are waiting for this eagerly. We have been delaying the deployment because we have been working on the logos. It has taken us more time than originally expected. Once the logos are ready, we will let you know the exact date of deployment. We are planning for either the next (more likely) or the following week. If your wiki doesn't currently have a localized logo, we encourage you to reach out to us and we can help make one.

We invite you to get involved in the project. Contact us if you have any questions or need any help, particularly with the compatibility of gadgets and user scripts. SGrabarczuk (WMF) (talk) 23:14, 19 October 2022 (UTC)

Desktop improvements. A new change is coming!
(! )

Next week (the week of February 6), the Wikimedia Foundation Web team will move some links from the side menu ("sidebar") to the other side of the screen.

This will make it easier to intuitively use all the links and tools within our interface. The table of contents will also appear a bit higher up the screen because the sidebar will be shorter. The latter change would mostly be interesting for editors. This is because readers use the sidebar much more rarely.

Why we are changing this

The interface does not distinguish between the links and tools that are relevant to the website and the links and tools that are relevant to a single page. Main page, random page, recent changes, are in the first group. What links here, related changes, cite this page, belong to the second one. This mix is confusing to new readers. Also new editors are not familiar with what each link does. Mixing these groups makes it less likely for people to explore these tools naturally.

This change also addresses the concern for the location of the table of contents. Previously, some editors using an earlier version of Vector 2022 told us that because the table of contents appeared below the sidebar, it was placed too much down below the page. After this change, the sidebar will be shorter and thus will shift the table of contents further up in the page. Also, this change will reduce the white space on the page by using more of the space for the display of tools.

You can learn more about the page tools feature and the Desktop Improvements project on MediaWiki.org.

Gadgets' compatibility

Technically skilled editors may need to update some gadgets and user scripts. Some of these might become redundant or obsolete. We provide support for users who would like to maintain the compatibility. Please explore this section of our documentation for more information on gadget compatibility.

Let's work together
 * Subscribe to our newsletter to receive regular updates.
 * Share your ideas and ask questions on our talk page.
 * Create a task on Phabricator and add  tag or write to us if you notice a bug.
 * Translate the documentation on MediaWiki.org.

SGrabarczuk (WMF) (talk) 20:47, 3 February 2023 (UTC)

Tech/Server switch2
MediaWiki message delivery 00:03, 21 April 2023 (UTC)

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Temporary accounts for unregistered editors
Read this in your language • • Please tell other users about these changes



In 2024, editors who have not registered an account will automatically begin using temporary accounts. These editors are sometimes called "IP editors" because the IP address is displayed in the page history.

The Trust and Safety Product team gave a presentation at Wikimania about this change. You can watch it on YouTube.

There is more information at m:IP Editing: Privacy Enhancement and Abuse Mitigation.

SGrabarczuk (WMF) (User talk:SGrabarczuk (WMF)) 01:56, 30 September 2023 (UTC)

The Vector 2022 skin as the default in two weeks?
Read this in your language • • Please tell other users about these changes

Hello. I'm writing on behalf of the Wikimedia Foundation Web team. In two weeks, we would like to make the Vector 2022 skin the default on this wiki. If you prefer keeping the current skin select "Vector legacy (2010)" on the appearance tab of the global preferences and save the change. We encourage you to give the new skin a try, though.

Since I last came to you with this question, many things have changed. The skin is now the default on most Wikipedias, and all logos are done! We have also made some tweaks in the skin itself. Below is the text I've sent to you once, but I'm sending it again, just slightly edited, for those who haven't seen it.

If you know what this is about, jump straight to the section "Our plan": It would become the default for all logged-out users, and also all logged-in users who currently use Vector legacy as a local (but not global) preference. Logged-in users can at any time switch to any other skin. No changes are expected for these skins.

About the skin
[Why is a change necessary] When the current default skin was created, it reflected the needs of the readers and editors as these were 14 years ago. Since then, new users have begun using the Internet and Wikimedia projects in different ways. The old Vector does not meet their needs.

[Objective] The objective for the Vector 2022 skin is to make the interface more welcoming and comfortable for readers and useful for advanced users. It introduces a series of changes that aim to improve problems new and existing readers and editors were having with the old skin. It draws inspiration from previous user requests, the Community Wishlist Surveys, and gadgets and scripts. The work helped our code follow the standards and improve all other skins. The PHP code in the other available skins has been reduced by 75%. The project has also focused on making it easier to support gadgets and use APIs. [Changes in a nutshell] The skin introduces changes that improve readability and usability. The new skin does not remove any functionality currently available on the Vector skin. [Customize this skin] It's possible to configure and personalize our changes. We support volunteers who create new gadgets and user scripts. Check out the repository for a list of currently available customizations and changes, or add your own.
 * The limited width and pin-able menus allow to adjust the interface to the screen size, and focus on editing or reading. Logged-in and logged-out users may use a toggle button to keep the full width, though.
 * The sticky header makes it easier to find tools that editors use often. It decreases scrolling to the top of the page by 16%.
 * The new table of contents makes it easier to navigate to different sections. Readers and editors jump to different sections of the page 50% more than with the old table of contents. It also looks a bit different on talk pages.
 * The new search bar is easier to find and makes it easier to find the correct search result from the list. This increased the amount of searches started by 30% on the tested wikis.
 * The skin does not negatively affect pageviews, edit rates, or account creation. There is evidence of increases in pageviews and account creation across partner communities.

Our plan
If no large concerns are raised, we plan on deploying on 31 October. If you'd like to ask our team anything, if you have questions, concerns, or additional thoughts, please comment in any language. If this is the first comment to my message, make sure to ping me. We will gladly answer! Also, check out our FAQ. Thank you!

The Vector 2022 skin as the default in three weeks?
Read this in your language • • Please tell other users about these changes

Hello. I'm writing on behalf of the Wikimedia Foundation Web team. In two weeks, we would like to make the Vector 2022 skin the default on this wiki. If you prefer keeping the current skin select "Vector legacy (2010)" on the appearance tab of the global preferences and save the change. We encourage you to give the new skin a try, though.

Since I last came to you with this question, many things have changed. The skin is now the default on most Wikipedias, and all logos are done! We have also made some tweaks in the skin itself. Below is the text I've sent to you once, but I'm sending it again, just slightly edited, for those who haven't seen it.

If you know what this is about, jump straight to the section "Our plan": It would become the default for all logged-out users, and also all logged-in users who currently use Vector legacy as a local (but not global) preference. Logged-in users can at any time switch to any other skin. No changes are expected for these skins.

About the skin
[Why is a change necessary] When the current default skin was created, it reflected the needs of the readers and editors as these were 14 years ago. Since then, new users have begun using the Internet and Wikimedia projects in different ways. The old Vector does not meet their needs.

[Objective] The objective for the Vector 2022 skin is to make the interface more welcoming and comfortable for readers and useful for advanced users. It introduces a series of changes that aim to improve problems new and existing readers and editors were having with the old skin. It draws inspiration from previous user requests, the Community Wishlist Surveys, and gadgets and scripts. The work helped our code follow the standards and improve all other skins. The PHP code in the other available skins has been reduced by 75%. The project has also focused on making it easier to support gadgets and use APIs. [Changes in a nutshell] The skin introduces changes that improve readability and usability. The new skin does not remove any functionality currently available on the Vector skin. [Customize this skin] It's possible to configure and personalize our changes. We support volunteers who create new gadgets and user scripts. Check out the repository for a list of currently available customizations and changes, or add your own.
 * The limited width and pin-able menus allow to adjust the interface to the screen size, and focus on editing or reading. Logged-in and logged-out users may use a toggle button to keep the full width, though.
 * The sticky header makes it easier to find tools that editors use often. It decreases scrolling to the top of the page by 16%.
 * The new table of contents makes it easier to navigate to different sections. Readers and editors jump to different sections of the page 50% more than with the old table of contents. It also looks a bit different on talk pages.
 * The new search bar is easier to find and makes it easier to find the correct search result from the list. This increased the amount of searches started by 30% on the tested wikis.
 * The skin does not negatively affect pageviews, edit rates, or account creation. There is evidence of increases in pageviews and account creation across partner communities.

Our plan
If no large concerns are raised, we plan on deploying on 14 November. If you'd like to ask our team anything, if you have questions, concerns, or additional thoughts, please comment in any language. If this is the first comment to my message, make sure to ping me. We will gladly answer! Also, check out our FAQ. Thank you! SGrabarczuk (WMF) ( talk ) 01:07, 26 October 2023 (UTC)