Wikipedia talk:Software status

I can understand that large Wikipedias could be slowed down by those special pages, but the 51-article Maori Wikipedia can't be in that category. We don't even get offered the static dump!! Would someone please restore that feature at least to "short pages" (where I have specifically encouraged new users to look) and "Most Wanted" - Robin Patterson 20:13, 1 Jun 2004 (UTC)

Maori does get a static dump. See http://download.wikimedia.org/archives/mi/. You could try requesting the special pages be enabled at [http://sourceforge.net/tracker/index.php?func=browse&group_id=34373&atid=411195&set=custom&_assigned_to=0&_status=1&_category=100&_group=100&order=open_date&sort=DESC&offset=0

F sourceforge] or on wikitech-l. It isn't anything people here can enable. Angela . 16:47, 3 Jun 2004 (UTC)

Thank you for the response, Angela. But it leaves me puzzled. That archives list has nothing between 31 May and 6 June, and when I hit the button that should give me http://mi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Shortpages all I get on the resulting page is something like this:

"Short pages
"Sorry! This feature has been temporarily disabled because it slows the database down to the point that no one can use the wiki."

Now, as I suggested, with a Wikipedia that has fewer than 60 articles (and not too many hundred other pages) that cannot be the reason for disablement; and, if there really is a static dump available for us to look at (instead of having to download a file of unknown format and size), that page should be offering it. I guess it is consoling to see that even the "en" equivalent has the same message with no offer of a static dump today!

I will pursue the matter at those other references mentioned. I don't want to have potential new users put off unnecessarily, just when I may be succeeding in getting some good speakers of Maori interested.

Robin Patterson 06:13, 8 Jun 2004 (UTC)

It only shows 31 May - 6 June because the backups are only distributed weekly. The special pages are cached now, so you will see some of them, but they won't automatically update straight away. Angela . 04:50, 10 Jun 2004 (UTC)

Seems OK again, thank you all! - at least the Short Pages and the Long Pages and the Wanted Pages come up with lists that seem reasonably current. - Robin Patterson 03:07, 9 Jun 2004 (UTC)

Search Sometimes Enabled

It seems like search is sometimes enabled and sometimes disabled. Is this the result of variations in traffic, testing to see how much it affects performance, a software glitch, or just disagreement over whether it should be enabled? Also, is the search Indexed? nroose Talk 18:34, 26 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Yes to all of those questions. Search is disabled for different reasons. It is sometimes put on for only off-peak times, but also depends on the wiki. The larger ones, such as English, are more likely to be disabled than the other ones. Problems such as a server going out of service, or the searchindex taking too long to update can also cause search to be disabled. The server admin log usually mentions when and why it's been disabled. Angela .