Forum:System messages
Hey, guys. I was noticing that we have a lot of plain looking system messages (those in the MediaWiki namespace), with the notable exception of what you see when you're banned. This is obviously a parody of Wikipedia's version of the same text designed to be humorous.
Unfortunately, we haven't really customized that many of the other system messages. (For obvious reasons, only admins are able to edit these.) One system message we should spend some time on is MediaWiki:Protectedpagetext (the text that appears when you try to edit a page that has been protected). Wikipedia's got a highly informative version of this interface, and we should probably have our own version that's a spoof on it if we're going to continue to emulate them. Discuss. --
23:26, May 24, 2012 (UTC)
For. --EMC [TALK] 01:00 May 25 2012
- Only if it has Nazi flags. Spinning ones. →
(Der_Führerbunker--Wehrmacht Factories) 02:38, May 25, 2012 (UTC)
- Only if it has Stars of David. Spinning ones. —Sir Socky
(talk) (stalk)
GUN SotM UotM PMotM UotY PotM WotM 13:34, 25 May 2012
- Well you go ahead and show us some examples Queazy. As long as they're at least mildly entertaining, than you can create a forum to see if others like them. Or turn it into a competition. --
RomArtus*Imperator ® (Orate) 22:36, May 25, 2012 (UTC)
- Proceed with caution, and with consensus. System messages, like article titles and categories, are navigation tools; and giddily demonstrating your sense of humor, carried to the point of impeding navigation, makes the site less usable. Especially, a system message that a user may encounter identically a dozen times will quickly become less funny than just telling him what he did wrong. Spıke ¬ 22:40 25-May-12
- Well you go ahead and show us some examples Queazy. As long as they're at least mildly entertaining, than you can create a forum to see if others like them. Or turn it into a competition. --
- Here. It's just an outline, but....
- For semi-protected pages
For. --
| Sorry, but only registered users can edit this page right now. |
| We've decided to protect this page from spam, genocide, and other forms of abuse that pages suffer from at the hands of unregistered and new users like you.
What can I do? |
- Discuss and modify all you want. --
01:11, May 26, 2012 (UTC)
| AAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAA AAA AAAAAAAA AAA AAA AAAAA AAAA! |
| AAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAA A AAAAAAAAA AAAA AAAA, AAAAAAA AAA AAAAA AAAAA AA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAA AAAAA AAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAA AAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAA!.
AAAA AAA A AA?! |
Take a guess what this one is for. →
(Der_Führerbunker--Wehrmacht Factories) 01:52, May 26, 2012 (UTC)
- AAAAAAAAA!? -- 01:55, May 26, 2012 (UTC)
- I'd like to see a reference to adding a discussion on the talk page of the semi-protected article as another option for newly registered users. -- Simsilikesims(♀UN) Talk here. 07:06, May 26, 2012 (UTC)
- Or direct them to the right place to register a complaint/query about an article. Like these here forums! --RomArtus*Imperator ® (Orate) 07:49, May 26, 2012 (UTC)
- Done. See above. -- 13:20, May 26, 2012 (UTC)
- Done. See above. --
- Or direct them to the right place to register a complaint/query about an article. Like these here forums! --
| ... --- .-. .-. -.-- --..-- / -... ..- - / --- -. .-.. -.-- / .-. . --. .. ... - . .-. . -.. / ..- ... . .-. ... / -.-. .- -. / . -.. .. - / - .... .. ... / .--. .- --. . / .-. .. --. .... - / -. --- .-- .-.-.- |
| .-- . .----. ...- . / -.. . -.-. .. -.. . -.. / - --- / .--. .-. --- - . -.-. - / - .... .. ... / .--. .- --. . / ..-. .-. --- -- / ... .--. .- -- --..-- / --. . -. --- -.-. .. -.. . --..-- / .- -. -.. / --- - .... . .-. / ..-. --- .-. -- ... / --- ..-. / .- -... ..- ... . / - .... .- - / .--. .- --. . ... / ... ..- ..-. ..-. . .-. / ..-. .-. --- -- / .- - / - .... . / .... .- -. -.. ... / --- ..-. / ..- -. .-. . --. .. ... - . .-. . -.. / .- -. -.. / -. . .-- / ..- ... . .-. ... / .-.. .. -.- . / -.-- --- ..- .-.-.-
.-- .... .- - / -.-. .- -. / .. / -.. --- ..--.. |
Morse code version for the article of the same name! ~[ths] UotM 
22:55, 05/26/2012
| Cunt cunt cunt cunt crap crap shit |
| We've decided to protect this page from shit, shit, shit gay ass sex shit fuck shit nigger cunt crap noob cunt.
Buttsex |
| Pika, pi ka-ka pikachu kapi ka chuchu pi ka pi'i ka. |
| Pikapika chu kapi chupi ka bika, pikapi, ka pi'kah pika chu-u pi chu'pi pipi ka pi ka pika chupi'ka ka pi pika chu chu.
Pika pika? |
Anyway, we're getting a little off task. What I meant was, we should work on a message for MediaWiki:Protectedpagetext together. Take the original one and add or remove stuff to make it funnier and/or more concise. Think about what we did to MediaWiki:Blockedtext: "You can still read pages, but cannot edit, modify, change, amend, or revise them." -- 01:28, May 27, 2012 (UTC)
Anyway
If anyone has different ideas for what the banner should say, be bold and post them here! Yours just might be better than mine! -- 20:13, May 28, 2012 (UTC)
How about:
| Sorry, but the Cabal (who does NOT exist) has let it be known that only the meager few can edit this page. |
| We've decided to protect this page from edits, modifications, alters, and changes that pages suffer at the hands of unregistered and new users like <insert name here>.
What can I do? |
A bit morbid, yes? -- NotReallyMyUsername 2012-05-29T05:24
- Do we have big enough silver lock icons, like the ones used on Wikipedia? And gold locks?
| Sorry, but the Cabal has let it be known that only the meager few can edit this page. |
| We've decided to protect this page from edits, modifications, alters, and changes that pages suffer at the hands of unregistered and new users like <insert name here>. Unlike the self-proclaimed experts at Wikipedia, we actually strive to maintain the integrity of our pages.
What can I do? |
- Speaking of which, we need another one for fully protected articles, the ones only admins can edit. -- 19:43, May 29, 2012 (UTC)
I suggest one for an absolutely locked up page:
| Sorry, but the Cabal (who does NOT exist) has let it be known that NO ONE can edit this page. |
| We've decided to protect this page from edits, modifications, alters, and changes that pages suffer at the hands of unregistered and new users like <insert name here>.
What can I do? |
And in Pokemon Islands Language:
| Juzah! Cabal terabi gini juga baram SURU CHIA te droid buhigawa. |
| Ngamoe genji halaman mura edit, modifikasion, Encyclopedia Dramatica, e <insert name here> peoni derita muh changesi halaman jinja kea.
Ano kwo gaku maru? |
Note that Encyclopedia Dramatica means "alteration for a bad purpose".
|Si Plebius Dato' Joe ang Kemador CUN|IC Kill 
| 11:21, June 3, 2012 (UTC)
- Um, what about admins?
| Sorry, but the Cabal (who does NOT exist) has let it be known that NO ONE can edit this page. |
| We've decided to protect this page from edits, modifications, alters, and changes that pages suffer at the hands of unregistered and new users like <insert name here>.
What can I do? |
-- 21:55, June 6, 2012 (UTC)
Should we change the system message for Protectedpagetext?
Note: When voting, please disregard the versions listed above and vote on the one that I created below. -- 20:43, June 13, 2012 (UTC)
- I'm starting the vote now because I'm kind of impatient about this and I want it to get done soon. Oh, and For. -- 23:21, June 10, 2012 (UTC)
Against. →
L A B O R A T O R I E S 02:27, 11 June 2012 - Against. As always, don't crack wise with the navigation tools. Serious navigation tools help users navigate to funny pages. If you want to crack wise with the navigation tools, go to Illogicopedia, where even the month names are silly. Spıke ¬ 02:58 11-Jun-12
- Against. Keep it simple, above templates are trying too hard to be funny/abusive and could discourage a potential contributor. --RomArtus*Imperator ® (Orate) 13:20, June 11, 2012 (UTC)
- For the future!
|Si Plebius Dato' Joe ang Kemador CUN|IC Kill 
| 03:11, June 13, 2012 (UTC) - For. Just because SPIKE spoke against Illogicopedia is enough to get me pissed off. ~[ths] UotM
18:59, 06/13/2012 - All of the suggested changes are awful. If we are going to brighten the messages up a bit, it should be very subtly so as not to muddy the accessibility. --
TKFU
UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK 
01:00, June 24, 2012 (UTC)
- Did you look at the new version? I assume you are looking at the above. -- 00:04, June 25, 2012 (UTC)
- And this new suggested version is even drier than the old message? I don't understand what you are trying to change around here. It isn't broke, let's not fix it. -- TKFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK 00:42, June 25, 2012 (UTC)
- The only difference is that the new version tells the user if they can just log in to edit it, and a link to ask someone else to edit. -- 00:53, June 25, 2012 (UTC)
- The only difference is that the new version tells the user if they can just log in to edit it, and a link to ask someone else to edit. --
- And this new suggested version is even drier than the old message? I don't understand what you are trying to change around here. It isn't broke, let's not fix it. --
- Did you look at the new version? I assume you are looking at the above. --
Against. →
Commentary
How about something simple, like:
{{#ifeq: $1|protect
|This page is currently fully protected and can be edited only by administrators.
|This page is currently semi-protected and can be edited only by established registered users.}}
[[{{TALKPAGENAME}}|Submit an edit request.]]
It's just the same as the header on Wikipedia's interface because it distinguishes between semi- and fully protected pages; that's all I was going for. But we don't have to go overboard. -- 23:13, June 11, 2012 (UTC)