October 17th, 2012

If there's a problem with a wiki, then you can fix it; that's why it's a wiki

On an internal mailing list, somebody asked a question about how to do X with Y, and I replied with a link to an internal wiki that described how to do X with Y (answer: use the Z tool). Somebody else replied, “Time to update that article because the link to the Z tool is broken.” Apparently, this person forgot that one of the defining characteristics of a wiki is that it’s easy to edit. (Another characteristic is that it is collaboratively-edited; there is no central authority.)

In other words, if you see something wrong, fix it yourself. Don’t just stand around saying somebody should do something. Be someone. Because on a wiki, there is no default value for somebody.

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Raymond has been involved in the evolution of Windows for more than 30 years. In 2003, he began a Web site known as The Old New Thing which has grown in popularity far beyond his wildest imagination, a development which still gives him the heebie-jeebies. The Web site spawned a book, coincidentally also titled The Old New Thing (Addison Wesley 2007). He occasionally appears on the Windows Dev Docs Twitter account to tell stories which convey no useful information.

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