Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Andy Smith (programmer)


 * The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review).  No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was moved to Draft:Andy Smith (programmer). There is a majority in favor of deletion, which could barely be interpreted as a consensus, but there is also a reasonable argument for the possibility that this article could be improved. I have moved it to draft space, where it can be further improved, and submitted through the draft review process for restoration to mainspace. If it is abandoned, or not sufficiently improved, it will eventually be deleted automatically. bd2412 T 21:13, 27 September 2017 (UTC)

Andy Smith (programmer)

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Non-notable individual lacking non-trivial, in-depth support. References are single line mentions, lack independence, or do not mention article subject. CSD was removed without cause or explanation. red dogsix (talk) 23:10, 12 September 2017 (UTC)
 * Note: This debate has been included in the list of Computing-related deletion discussions. Coolabahapple (talk) 04:46, 13 September 2017 (UTC)
 * Note: This debate has been included in the list of People-related deletion discussions. Coolabahapple (talk) 04:46, 13 September 2017 (UTC)


 * Delete: a non-notable computer programmer.John Pack Lambert (talk) 06:02, 14 September 2017 (UTC)
 * Delete Not convinced subject meets WP:GNG. Pure RED  &#124;  talk to me   &#124; 18:32, 15 September 2017 (UTC)
 * Weak Keep: Updating vote per additional sources. Subject is the cofounder of OpenStack, which lends some notability. Pure RED  &#124;  talk to me   &#124; 18:35, 15 September 2017 (UTC)
 * I think this extensive article on the history of OpenStack is quite telling, saying "OpenStack has many founders across NASA, Rackspace, and beyond" and only referring to Smith in passing in one sentence, "They hacked through the weekend at HouseKu, another collaborative group house in San Francisco where a NASA contractor named Andy Smith lived." This is not the stuff of notability. 86.17.222.157 (talk) 17:03, 23 September 2017 (UTC)

Updates were made 05:41, 15 September 2017‎. The article Andy Smith (programmer), when it was reviewed, was missing essential details and citations highlighting the individual's notability. Please review the updates to confirm the individual's notability and the value of this article's addition to Wikipedia. Further details and citations have yet to be added, but those indicating the individual's significance are now included. Thanks in advance. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Anthr0pologist (talk • contribs)  Relisted to generate a more thorough discussion and clearer consensus.
 * Notable computer programmer and contributor to the global open-source movement: article updated to include notable details and citations*
 * I find it very tiresome that articles about anything or anyone connected to computing seem to be judged by far lower standards than those that we apply to other topics. Where are the genuine reliable sources outside republishers of press releases and the mutually backscratching walled garden of tech web sites? 86.17.222.157 (talk) 20:29, 17 September 2017 (UTC)

Please add new comments below this notice. Thanks, North America1000 00:45, 19 September 2017 (UTC)
 * Delete lacks WP:BIO needs to WP:CS --EC Racing (talk) 02:41, 19 September 2017 (UTC)
 * This certainly cites sources, so I'm not sure what you mean by linking to that page. My issue is that the sources cited are all either derived from press releases or are in trade publications, which we do not accept as evidence of notability for, say, plumbers or bankers, so we shouldn't accept them for computer programmers. 86.17.222.157 (talk) 20:19, 19 September 2017 (UTC)


 * Keep : reliable sources, notable software architect, ongoing global influence. Sources cited include Reuters, Quartz, Wired, The Economist, BusinessWire, VentureBeat, TechCrunch, The Next Web. It’s important to highlight the distinction between “anything or anyone connected to computing” (quoted from the above comment) and the influence Smith has had through his projects. In the case of oAuth - continues to be used by upwards of a billion people. In the case of BarCamp and the unconferences based on BarCamp - his influence has reached the hundreds of thousands who’ve attended these events over the years. In the case of OpenStack - 80,000+ programmers globally continue to contribute to and grow the project 7 years after its inception in 2010, and the infrastructure of listed companies like Dell, HP, IBM, etc, rely on it. It also may be worth noting that these accomplishments were happening from 2005 when there was considerably less interest in tech from mainstream media. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Anthr0pologist (talk • contribs)
 * On the face of it the most impressive of the sources that you listed there is The Economist, so let's take a look at it. Andy Smith isn't even mentioned in this article. Please show us some real independent reliable sources with significant coverage of Smith rather than this collection of press releases, passing mentions and non-mentions. 86.17.222.157 (talk) 14:51, 23 September 2017 (UTC)


 * Delete per my sourcing concerns above. The more I look the less notable the subject seems. 86.17.222.157 (talk) 17:03, 23 September 2017 (UTC)
 *  Keep  (duplicate !vote stricken) Pointing to the significance of this individual's works: the Wikipedia community deems three of Smith's works of significance. This community created, contributes to and frequently updates the pages documenting Smith’s works.
 * The OpenStack open-source technology and non-profit foundation, the oAuth technology and the widely-adopted BarCamp event format each have their own ongoing global significance: oAuth is used by upwards of a billion users of the most-used social media sites, FTSE 100 companies rely heavily on OpenStack and oAuth, OpenStack has a thriving community of 80,000+ engineers contributing to its open-source projects, each of these three initiatives engages actively-contributing communities on almost every continent, they all have longevity - continued growth since Smith co-founded/co-authored them 7-12 years ago.
 * Wikipedians have been contributing to and maintaining the pages for BarCamp, oAuth and OpenStack since 2005, 2007 and 2010 respectively.
 * In response to the earlier comment: the inclusion of the 2012 Economist citation indicates the far-reaching societal and political impact of BarCamp -- and thus, supports the notability of the individual - having co-founded BarCamp. Other citations are offered as evidence of Smith's role in creating the aforementioned projects.
 * If it's judged that, of OpenStack, oAuth and BarCamp, any of these is indeed significant enough to be documented on Wikipedia, the question is around whether it’s in the interest of Wikipedia’s users to be allowed to find information about the creators of these works here.
 * Exiting this discussion due to time constraints, although continuing to research this era of the social web. No doubt whatever decision results from this discussion, it will be well-considered and in the interest of Wikipedia’s users. Thanks to all contributors. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Anthr0pologist (talk • contribs)


 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.