User talk:Kudu

Cannot create account, great service!
Hi Kudu, I cannot create an account because there is a database error, something to do with your CentralAuth instance. That's a tricky bit, eh? Instead of using CentralAuth on MyWikis, I just shut down the database from editing and merged the users into one central database. I will be sure to join the IRC later, thanks! --JeffTalk 22:37, 16 July 2013 (UTC)

Recent global change
I support the checkuser log, FWIW. D u s t i *Let's talk!* 21:24, 29 July 2013 (UTC)
 * Ditto. John (talk) 15:15, 30 July 2013 (UTC)

Quick question
Is there any way to remove system messages on a wiki? I want a custom interface, please. Emilyr25 (talk) 21:37, 13 August 2013 (UTC)
 * You are able to overwrite them in any way you want, which can allow you have a custom interface but all messages as a whole can not be 'removed' only overwritten. John (talk) 22:03, 13 August 2013 (UTC)

My thoughts on the extension and feature requisition process
I only know the basics of how to use Git and Github (basically, I know how to download from them and that's it, same as with Subversion). Unfortunately, my attempts to make a pull request for the extension I wanted added to my wiki was an utter failure, and half of the extensions I request I would not be able to pull request to the Orain repository in any case since some are either on Subversion or as code on MediaWiki.org pages.

In short, I don't believe the process for requesting features is all that efficient. Wikia tends be reluctant to add anything they don't extensively test, but if it's available, they will install it as soon as possible. ShoutWiki will install whatever is possible to install, though they tend to be reluctant to install new or unstable extensions. In both cases, whenever they couldn't install certain features, they usually gave good reason for doing so. Also, neither service asked regular users to do pull requests to their repositories, preferring instead to simply have the users submit the names and URLs of the extensions, skins, and so on they wanted to install, then they would get back to said user within a few days at most and inform them whether or not it would be feasible, and if so, the feature would be implemented according to the user's preferences if applicable.

While I'm otherwise pleased with Orain, I consider its feature requisition process discouraging and unfriendly to prospective wiki administrators and believe it should be as user friendly, if not more, than similar service offered by the others I have mentioned. Arcane (talk) 00:13, 14 August 2013 (UTC)Arcane
 * Hi Arcane, I only suggested that you submit a pull request because you listed a lot of extensions and you wanted to be involved in the staffing aspect. If you prefer that I take care of it for you, that's possible too, but it might get delayed since I'm leaving for vacation in a few days and you requested a lot of extensions. Kudu (talk) 00:18, 14 August 2013 (UTC)
 * It's alright, I can wait. Besides, I can understand the strain of adding so many extensions would cause, and I glad you can help me out with repository side of things (my skills in using that kind of software is terrible), and since I'm still gathering information for my wiki, I can wait for the extensions for now. Until then, thanks for hearing me out concerning my issues with the feature requisition process (and if I was impolite in voicing my concerns, you have my apologies), and while I would like to be a staff member, I'm more a "bug tester" kind of guy than anything else (most of my contributions on MediaWiki.org are me testing extensions, reporting and/or fixing bugs....testing MW stuff is kinda my hobby), but if that position is not needed, I understand. And, one last thing:
 * Have fun on your vacation. :D Arcane (talk) 01:04, 14 August 2013 (UTC)Arcane
 * We might need bug testers sometime in the future, and we'll definitely ask for your help if we do. Thanks a lot, I'll be sure to have fun! I'm only going to be back in about 2 weeks from now though. Kudu (talk) 18:02, 14 August 2013 (UTC)

Monaco side bar transclusion
I just reverted your change to the Monaco sidebar back to the old version since your transclusion leaves a blank "Navigation" link that leads to nothing (I tried making it redirect to the main page, to no avail). Hope you don't mind.

Still need some extensions installed, but I think a few of my requests were made global changes, so you might want to check if that's the case first.

Also, welcome back :D Arcane (talk) 23:54, 29 August 2013 (UTC)Arcane
 * Thanks! I installed most of your extensions, except a few that were either very old, are on SVN or aren't in a VCS. They might be able to be installed, but they would require extra diligence. Are any of them essential? Kudu (talk) 00:15, 30 August 2013 (UTC)
 * I left notes on a few extensions I need explaining the technical reasons, but the ones I left (after removing the ones I considered optional) are because they are extremely conducive to making a site where users can easily create new pages without having to do a lot of work, since most of the extensions I specified allow for the easy creation of page templates and redirects without needing Semantic MediaWiki (which I don't plan to cover on my wiki). Besides, pretty much all of the extensions I specified are quite stable and would be a great asset to Orain as well (particularly if you want to streamline page creation), so you guys might want to consider including them on the Orain repository in some way as well. Arcane (talk) 00:25, 30 August 2013 (UTC)Arcane

Elderlords.orain.org help
Hey Kudu, may you add these specific features to my wiki? If possible could the skin be changed to Monobook? But if not, then its ok. But I also have another request,http://hdwallpapercorner.com/gallery/578-old-paper-background.jpg can that be the full wiki background?
 * Hey, I changed the skin to monobook. However, I can't do the wiki background because that requires a skin change. Kudu (talk) 01:28, 30 September 2013 (UTC)
 * I also disabled WikiEditor on Encyclopedia National and Elder Lords Wiki as requested. Kudu (talk) 01:32, 30 September 2013 (UTC)

Global change I'd like to suggest
Towards the bottom of the linked section on Dusti's talk page, I included a screenshot on some errors that can be seen using the Monaco skin with and without the WikiEditor extension installed, and linked to a page on my wiki detailing how to fix these changes, which I strongly recommend be implemented globally, as at least one display error is present even when WikiEditor is not installed on all wikis using the Monaco skin. I also provide a link to a custom port I have made of Monaco with all of these fixes with some of my own custom changes with a more Vector/Monobook button and bulletpoint scheme, should that be preferred as an alternative.

I also have (and will be adding more as time goes by) some gadgets and user scripts on my wiki that I have extensively tested for compatibility with recent versions of MediaWiki, and even have a few gadgets retooled to work with Monaco that used to only work in Monobook/Vector that you may find of interest, and would be willing to attempt converting requested gadgets/user scripts to work with Monaco if need be, since many gadgets are designed with Monobook/Vector in mind.

Arcane (talk) 09:55, 30 September 2013 (UTC)Arcane

Apparent advertisement
Please do not change my comment on Forum:Would like to submit a proposed Orain logo footer button, this is censorship and Dusti has said that Orain supports freedom of speech. I was simply referring to my way; I'm not trying to advertise from Orain. I appreciate your anti-spam efforts, but please do not edit anybody's comments unless it is clearly spam that has nothing to do with the page. Thanks. --Jeff (talk) (contribs) 16:45, 26 October 2013 (UTC)
 * Moved from User talk:Yena. Wording may like to be reconsidered. John (talk) 16:59, 26 October 2013 (UTC)
 * Hi Jeff. You're correct, we do support freedom of speech; however this is not wikifarms.orain.org or another impartial site, it's meta.orain.org, therefore we feel that it's fair to remove this kind of comment, which I interpreted as more of an advertisement than a recommendation. I suggest you change it to something like "I think Orain should have a footer icon on every wiki, but remove it on request." if that's what you intended. Kudu (talk) 17:39, 26 October 2013 (UTC)
 * I have removed it again, please leave it removed. I have discussed it with a few other users and it seems that it would be best to leave it removed. -- Joe G. (Talk) 23:18, 26 October 2013 (UTC)

Help?
Hi Kudu. I didn't really pay much attention to the merging of Orain and TropicalWikis, so please forgive my incompetence on the issue. I was just curious to find out a few things-


 * Were all (or any) of the TropicalWikis wikis moved over yet? If so, did orain staff and/or TW staff decided to delete a few wikis?
 * Mainly i'm asking because I used to edit the pretty inactive Not So EPF Wiki, and I was curious to see if it was still here somewhere (I'm not quite sure how to find any wikis on Orain because I looked on the "list of wikis" but I don't believe that's all of the wikis considering TW probably had that many by itself). In addition, i'm also looking for the Portuguese Club Penguin Fanon Wiki that was supposedly moved from TW.


 * Also, were the user accounts from TW moved over to Orain? I am curious because (once again) I couldn't find what I was looking for, in this case my old TW user account which I thought was moved. As far as I remember it was under the name Cp kid. I figured i'd ask you first under an IP before I created a new account.

Anyways, if you could help me out with the issue i'm having, i'd appreciate it. 98.180.118.6 05:56, 4 November 2013 (UTC)
 * Hi 98.x, you're correct, TropicalWikis did decide to move its wikis to Orain. However, they had some complications regarding storage and we are currently waiting for them to provide the wiki data. Once we get the data, we were planning to move over only the most active wikis, but I'll make sure to also migrate the ones you mentioned. User accounts may or may not be migrated depending on the data with which TW supplies us. Sorry for the inconvenience, Kudu (talk) 15:00, 8 November 2013 (UTC)

A barnstar for you!

 * Thank you so much! Kudu (talk) 02:38, 8 December 2013 (UTC)

Questions
Hello Kudu. I have experience in wikis and I'll register in Orain. I can be steward? Thank you. --190.33.67.43 22:15, 9 March 2014 (UTC)
 * Hello, we only consider members for stewardship if they have an exceptional record of community involvement on Orain, or, in rare cases, an exceptional record in the broader wiki community. If you don't meet either of these requirements, you may still register on Orain and assist stewards with global tasks in your capacity as a member.  Kudu ~I/O~ 22:28, 9 March 2014 (UTC)

Encyclopedia Muricana
Will you please create it? I requested it several days ago and it still has not been set up. I saw you create several wikis yesterday but you haven't created the one I requested. Can you please set it up now? Dondrekhan (talk) 13:12, 31 March 2014 (UTC)

Orain's FIRST donation drive!!
As many of you may have seen, Orain has been undergoing some significant changes. To be frank, we've outgrown our current home. With 288 communities, 1,000+ users, and sites like All The Tropes growing daily - we're beginning to look at the long term future of the project. With current funding levels, we can last four more months after we upgrade to some new servers. Our last server change wasn't that long ago, yes, but it was done to improve the overall stability and functionality of the site.

We've launched an Indegogo campaign to raise $5,000 to accomplish a couple of things:


 * We would be able to move to a stable, secure, short to mid term server that has the capability to not only host us now but continue hosting us even if we grow significantly
 * Begin the process of investigating solutions that include us purchasing our own private servers
 * Begin working on expanding our current abilities and addressing some of our limitations
 * Developing some extensions, widgets, and potentially a mobile application to improve the end-user experience
 * .. and finally being reaching out to other mid to large size communities and bring them into the Orain family.

To increase the likelihood of donations we've included some incentives that we'd love to send out including t-shirts, hoodies, blankets, and some new userrights - Donor and VIP which will come with their own individual perks.

We appreciate your generosity and look forward on continuing to offer a fun, free, collaborative community for all to enjoy.

For the staff -- Dusti 08:01, 5 January 2015 (GMT)

My apologies on sending this out again, the first messages had an error

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Can I ask you for $1?
We're 9 days into our 30 day campaign, and we've raised $537. That's fantastic! The idea of Orain, our message, our purpose - it means something. The belief that there can be a community led, a community ran, and a community funded website that's not ad-driven or profit based works.

Our community has believed in us from the beginning, and I firmly believe that our community will stand by us and continue to support us. It's okay if we don't reach our $5,000 goal. $5,000 was a best case scenario. $1,000 enables us to stay online another year. It enables us to keep looking at alternatives and other ways to stay online and cut costs. $500 halves that time and shortens our research ability. 11% of our goal is better than 0% of our goal.

I've made a pledge from the beginning. I've vowed to never force ads on this community for the purpose of keeping Orain alive. Ads are what separate us from the other farms we compete with. I will give my personal funds before I enable ads by force. Ads are a nuisance that you should have a voice in. We've toyed with and are developing the idea of individual wikis who want ads within their community. Some people can't donate a dollar, and that's okay. That's their way of giving and I'm down for that.

To the backers who have helped so far, Thank you!

If you haven't had a chance to donate so far, please please do. Your $1 will help make a difference in the WikiFarm world. You can help us stay online, free, and ad free.

If you have a little more than a dollar and want an Orain t-shirt, we've got those. We've also got hoodies, coffee cups, and blankets. Most of these things will have to be purchased in bulk so there's likely going to be an online store for the leftover donation drive items once the campaign is over.

As always, I want to hear from you. If you have ideas to help our Indiegogo campaign please send them to me or email me.

With love, Dustin "Dusti" Muniz 03:01, 14 January 2015 (GMT)

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Site news for January!
Hi there! It's been a wild ride over the last few days!!

We went from being dead in a couple of months to being certain of the next couple years to come! We're sitting at $2,100 in our Indiegogo fundraiser, just shy of 50% of our goal. Those of you who have contributed to the cause, I cannot tell you how blessed I feel. To know that the project I helped Kudu create a couple years ago is providing a service that is helping and impacting others makes me feel great.

If there's anything else you're able to give, it'd be greatly appreciated. We don't receive any other funds. We don't receive anything from advertising. We don't have corporate sponsors or government grants. We don't have staff who get paid. We survive because you want us to. Your generosity has ensured that at least for the next couple of years we'll be alive, online, and free. We'll probably have to do another donation drive in a couple of years, but that's the art of being community funded and supported.

With just a couple days left in the campaign, I urge you, if you haven't yet, to enter one of our running contests to win some free Orain gear. We have one via our Facebook page - all you have to do is enter! Also, any person donating $5 or more is entered into a chance to win some free Orain gear too!

Since this campaign has started we've started looking at what we can do to maximize the longevity of your contributions. We've began looking at the benefits of physical servers versus virtual servers and the overall structure and foundation of our setup. This month we welcomed Tanner to our Sysadmin team. Tanner has volunteered with Mozilla for the last couple of years and is a great asset to the Sysadmin team. Tanner will be teaming up with Addshore to lead our Sysadmin team. We also welcomed FastLizard4 from the Wikipedia Account Creations Team. FL4 is one of the roots for the ACC interface and brings a lot of knowledge to the technical team.

We've recently been challenged on the content that we allow to be hosted. Our staff stood firmly by our communities and made it clear that we support your freedom of speech. Over the next few days and weeks we're going to be updating some of our policies regarding wikis and the content they host to ensure that we have something we can point to when disputes and complaints like these come up. We want to ensure that we're giving our community the best while complying with local and federal laws. A wonderful quote that brings this theory home comes from Voltaire:


 * I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it.

For the staff, OrainMessenger (talk) 09:01, 30 January 2015 (GMT)

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