Wikipedia talk:Administrators/Archive 1

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Contents

Jeronimo's query on List of admins and subsequent chitchat

Would it be good to have a list of administrators here? Jeronimo

Yup. -- Tarquin (Dated September 17, 2002)

At first blush, it sounds like a good idea to me. — Toby 09:27 Sep 20, 2002 (UTC)

You've been blushing a lot lately. ;) --mav

OK - Here is a list of every user. All that is needed is for somebody to search for "sysop" and write down the sysops user name here. --mav (Dated September 20, 2002)

I can do better than that! Run this query: SELECT CONCAT("*[[User:",user_name,"|",user_name,"]]") from user where user_rights != "" ORDER BY user_name and cut-n-paste. --Brion (Dated September 20, 2002)

Sorry about the inadvertent capitalization of your name, mav. --Ed Poor (Dated November 14, 2002)

No biggie on the capitalization thing but just be careful not to delete Toby's message next time. --mav (Dated November 14, 2002)
Actually, I noticed that when I did the Diff in History, and I was putting it back when we got an edit conflict. I was correcting the "m" as well as putting back his message, but you are faster on the draw than I am. --Ed Poor (Dated November 14, 2002)
Opps! Sorry about that. :) --mav (Dated November 14, 2002)

Question about developers (and answer)

Hello. Something in one of Eloquence's messages to wikien-l has been confusing me. When he requested temporary sysop status in order to delete some pages, he added, "I've thought about making this possible for non-sysops by changing the code accordingly, but the security risk is too high." Changing the code? Doesn't that involve having "developer" status? He's not indicated as a developer on the Wikipedia:Administrators page, and I thought that the Wikipedia power hierarchy was a total order, so that all developers were sysops automatically. This is only idle curiosity, but since it is confusing me, I'd be grateful if someone could explain! -- Oliver PEREIRA 17:10 Jan 26, 2003 (UTC)

Different kinds of developer status

There are several different kinds of developer status:

  • right to commit changes to our CVS server (I do have this right)
  • right to directly access (via ssh) our server and alter the files stored there (I do not have this right since I have not asked for it; Brion, Ed, the Bomis folks and a couple of other people do).
  • right to run read-only SQL queries using the Wikipedia interface; every sysop can do so, so I have this right while I have sysop status.

And no, developers are not automatically sysops. Jimbo has offered me permanent sysop status but I have declined (I prefer to be a non-sysop most of the time in order to better understand how the Wikipedia workflow can be optimized). --Eloquence 17:29 Jan 26, 2003 (UTC)

Okay, thanks for the explanation! It seems that the power hierarchy is even more complicated than I thought. Ah well, never mind... -- Oliver PEREIRA 19:02 Jan 26, 2003 (UTC)

Missing Zoe

I just thought I'd better point out that Zoe seems to have been missed off the list. -- Oliver P. 21:23 Feb 19, 2003 (UTC)

She's on now. But what happened to Lee Daniel Crocker ?? His name didn't come up when I queried the user table. --Uncle Ed 21:39 Feb 19, 2003 (UTC)
I disabled his access while he was gone just so we didn't have an unused developer account potentially open to unnoticed cracking. Well actually, I meant to do that but forgot, and then accidentally didn't restore him when I mucked up the sysop accounts the other day. :) I'll put him back. --Brion 22:51 Feb 19, 2003 (UTC)

Sv language link

Could you please add a sv language link to Wikipedia:Administratörer? // Liftarn (Dated February 27, 2003)

Done Enchanter (Dated February 27, 2003)

Capabilities of sysops

Is there a good page around to show just what capabilities sysops have, and how to use them? For instance, I see that I can apparently block by IP address, but only (as far as I can see) from seeing them on Special:Recentchanges or Special:Watchlist. Not that I would imagine it likely I'd need to from the User page or a history page, but it'd be nice in general to have a HOWTO or something to see what all there is to it. -- John Owens 09:43 Apr 6, 2003 (UTC)

Rambot's sysop status

What, what WHAT!!! User:Rambot is a sysop??!! Why in the world is a bot a sysop? One glitich in the bot's code and it deletes 100 articles a minute! And since it is a registered bot these edits would not show up on Recent Changes! --mav (Dated April 10, 2003)

Rambot is *not* a sysop. Presumably someone made this list by checking for "user_rights != ", without actually checking the contents thereof. Registered bot accounts are marked with "bot" in the user_rights field. --Brion 05:25 Apr 10, 2003 (UTC)
Whew! Thanks for the info. --mav (Dated April 10, 2003)
Rambot, we hardly knew ye. -- John Owens (Dated April 10, 2003)
Before your time I suppose. Rambot created 30,000 articles on US places and then went through several runs to add more info to each of them. --mav (Dated April 10, 2003)
I'd gotten the idea of what it is, and figured it was responsible for a lot of those geographical/census pages that crop up about 1/3 the time I hit Special:Randompage, especially after I looked at some histories. Did it have anything to do with the 1911 encyclopædia too, or was that all by hand? -- John Owens
Actually, looking at it again now, Rambot's last major contributions were in December 2002, and I started here in October that same year (or a bit earlier, anonymously), so not entirely before my time. -- John Owens

From heading.

Apparent comment about list of administrators

"Four of these (in bold italics) also have developer rights." Well, no, I count 5. Koyaanis Qatsi (Dated April 15, 2003)

How come Jasonr is a sysop?

Who is User:Jasonr? Does he/Has he ever existed and should his name remain on this list? Tuf-Kat (Dated April 15, 2003)

Employee of Bomis, hasn't contributed for a year or so, but stops in occasionally to do admin stuff. Yes, he should stay. Koyaanis Qatsi 18:59 Apr 15, 2003 (UTC)
I guess my question was how can he be an admin when he doesn't appear to have an account. I'm sure he's a swell chap and all, and I have no problems with his sysopness, I'm just curious as to how it's possible. Tuf-Kat (Dated April 15, 2003)
He has an account; he just doesn't have a user page. Koyaanis Qatsi (Dated April 15, 2003)
Aaaah.... Tuf-Kat

Troll?

I understand Administrators on this web site participate in abuse and harassment of any user with a name not to their liking. If you have a problem with my name please advise me on my user talk page.A. Hoar (Dated April 17, 2003)

Unblocking users

I've been thinking of writing a "unblock all IPs banned more than 30 days ago" script. And running it once a week. Any takers? --Ed Poor

Well, I was just going to add an automatic timeout to the banning system; the length of ban would be set when banning (default 30 days, options to less?), and when the timeout came up, they fall off the list. Sound good? (Also, there should be a log page listing bans, manual unbans, and automatic unbans.) --Brion 21:03 Nov 26, 2002 (UTC)
  • 17:55 Dec 3, 2002, Jimbo Wales blocked 164.58.161.98 (contribs) (unblock) (H. Jonat needs to talk to me before reinstatment)
  • 19:14 Dec 5, 2002, Jimbo Wales blocked 66.47.62.78 (contribs) (unblock) (H. Jonat needs to talk to me before posting -- Jimbo)

I'd like to unblock these two IPs, which were blocked nearly five months ago - well above the 30 days mentioned by Ed Poor. User:H. Jonat's last edit was Jan 25, so I guess sie must have spoken to Jimbo. Objections? Martin 14:25 Apr 29, 2003 (UTC)

H Jonat

H Jonat last contribution using her username was Jan 25 of 2002 after that she went underground only doing unlogged in contributions. Rmhermen 15:26 Apr 29, 2003 (UTC)
But she's not meant to be banned still, right? I mean, there's nothing on her page or talk page to indicate that she's still banned, and you're not saying that she is. She's just an unbanned user editing anonymously... ok, I don't see any problem with that. IPs summarilly unblocked. Martin (Dated April 30, 2003)
Yes, she is still banned. In order ot be reinstated she has to talk to Jimbo first. --mav (Dated April 30, 2003)
Ahh, I found Jimbo's sep 9 post pn the original ban, which clears up at least part of the issue.
I'm going to leave the two IPs mentioned above unblocked, because the evidence suggests that Helga is no longer using them. I would also like someone who knows the circumstances of the ban better to make an appropriate edit to user:H. Jonat explaining in a neutral way what happened, which should save time in the future. Thanks :) Martin 23:14 Apr 30, 2003 (UTC)

Anthere's comment

Since I worked inspiring myself of this page; two comments. It is mentionned all users, non-signed included, can edit articles AND upload files. I think un-loggued user cannot upload files. ant (Dated April 30, 2003)

What looks like a letter from Janet Dayton to Admins of Wikipedia

Apparent request for adminship by User:172

I would be interested in becoming an administrator if Wikipedia is still short of administrators. 172 (Dated May 3, 2003)

I'm a bit lost in this process. I've sent out requests on the mailing list and have received support from three professional scholars who are also, without a doubt, among the best contributors: JTD, Tannin, Danny and others. I greatly appreciate their confidence, but I don't know what I'm to do next. 172 (Dated May 7, 2003)

Honesty compells me to say that I'm not a professional schlolar, 172, much as I appreciate your comment. I am, in my own small way, a capitalist of sorts. :) Tannin
The implementation has to be done by a sysop with "developer" access. Normally Ed Poor does it, but he's not around, so you'll have to wait for one of the others. Assuming, of course, that said developer is convinced that there's a consensus in favour of your sysopship... Martin (Dated May 7, 2003)

Kingturtle wondering where to apply for adminship

Where do I apply for sysop status? I'd like to help in such regards. Kingturtle 22:48 May 7, 2003 (UTC)


Can images be undeleted?

I would like to understand. It is written deletion of images are permanent. This has also been told to me when I asked for the undeletion of the baboon image. So, if it is really the case, it is absolutely useless to add a link for Wikipedia:votes for undeletion. It is maybe not necessarily to make believe regular users tehy will gain anything in spending time challenging a decision when the image is permanently lost. So, please, is it permanent or not permanent ? Anthere (Dated May 21, 2003)

From what I can tell, image deletion is permanent. The image description page can be recovered, but the image is permanently lost. -- Minesweeper 01:37 21 May 2003 (UTC)
Uploads can never be permanently lost unless the person who uploaded them loses their original copy or, of course, vanishes completely. Images from the public domain are naturally enough retrievable again. Sysops who delete images ought to save a copy themselves before deleting just in case; this has been my custom at least. --Brion 02:17 21 May 2003 (UTC)

User:MyRedDice moved relevant discussion from Village Pump

Instead of having to contact any administrator and hoping that he/she reads the request, how about creating a page Wikipedia:Sysop requests which all admins are required to watch? This could be used to request the editing of protected pages, banning of IPs, what have you. Is there such a page already? Alternatively, sysop usernames could be flagged in some fashion, but this would smack of elitism. ---Eloquence 21:25 Jan 19, 2003 (UTC)

but w3 *IS* teh l33t! (kidding) -- t
... and detrimental to npov. Sysops already have a disproprtionately high
credibility with the credulous. See Milgram experiment. It is bad
enough that the Hubris of some Sysops, prevents them from recognizing the  ::failure of logic, that is known as an appeal to Authority. Who else but ::User:Two16
Sysops already have a disproprtionately high credibility with the credulous.
Isn't that the result of being credulous? In other words, why do you think someone's credulity reflects on the sysops instead of on him- or herself? Koyaanis Qatsi 08:35 11 Jul 2003 (UTC)
well, we have wikipedia talk:protected page, wikipedia:vandalism in progress, and wikipedia:votes for deletion - what other sysop requests are there?
I disagree with the flagging of sysop usernames - I've had bad experiences with such systems elsewhere?