Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2010-05-03/News and notes
iPhone app update, Vector rollout for May 13, brief news
- The Wikimedia Foundation has announced six MediaWiki-related Google Summer of Code projects for 2010.
- As discussed on the Foundation-l mailing list, a Facebook group called "Vandalize Wikipedia day" was set up and deleted recently.
- The "Content scope" task force of the Foundation's Strategic Planning project is currently drafting a "project policy", which includes "a number of questions to be considered before a new [Wikimedia] project is accepted."
Wikipedia iPhone app updated
The Wikimedia Foundation has updated the official "Wikipedia Mobile" iPhone app, first released in August 2009. New features include an improved layout, bookmarkable articles, and plotting geolocated articles near to the user's location on a map. The app is a free download from the App Store.
New user interface to be deployed on May 13
The rollout of the new user interface will take place on 5:00am UTC on May 13, as announced on May 1st by Naoko Komura from the User Experience team. The process is expected to take two to three hours. Details of the changes had already been described in a March 25 announcement (see earlier Signpost coverage). Users who prefer the old interface will be able to deactivate the new features easily (see FAQ). On Commons, the default skin had already been switched to the new interface on April 5.
Discuss this story
I wonder if this new app is as painfully slow as the first. f o x 15:53, 4 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Does the new iPhone/iPad app support editing of Wikipedia articles? I haven't found a way to edit Wikipedia on the ipad/iphone. The iPad's Mobile Safari doesn't allow to scroll in the editing text box. AxelBoldt (talk) 17:35, 4 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Yay! Vector releases on my birthday! Best birthday present ever: a new layout for Wikipedia! –CGTalk 23:35, 4 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Is this app free? I almost dl'd it once but I already have the net on my iphone. Tommy2010 23:39, 4 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]
I just got it - sadly, you still cant edit articles. If you really need to edit, you can just use normal Safari but it is very hard - I have tried. Also, yes it is free - just make sure you get the official one, there are a lot of others. Forentitalk 07:53, 5 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Still can't edit articles on it. It's a damn embarrassment that the official WMF app just lets you consume content, not add to the sum of human knowledge. Protonk (talk) 15:57, 5 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Honestly, editing on an iPhone ? i hope WMF did not spend (donated) money to develop that app... did it ? 217.235.10.221 (talk) 00:10, 8 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]
I can't say I see any value in moving the search bar to the top right from the left sidebar. I suppose there was a massive study showing that new users were unable to find it where it's been for the past ten years . . . but it still seems like a change that was made just for the sake of making a change. The skin overall seems like a nice improvement, though.--~TPW 10:31, 10 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]