BarebonesMediaWiki

Barebones mediawiki logo sketch

The Problem

There is a need for building microsites for projects that support and document Wikimedia activities like API documentation for community developers or the Wikimedia transparency report. These microsites can function as a good place to present content in a light-weight way, with its design customized for the project's specific needs.

Proposal

A "bare-bones" version of MediaWiki with an ability to hide and control most of its user interface. For example, pages related to the Wikipedia SOPA blackout or the Wikipedia donate page are built on MediaWiki, with most of MediaWiki's chrome hidden to better focus on the page's purpose and content.

Why use MediaWiki?

• We already have developers with expertise for writing and maintaining it.
• Building Barebones MediaWiki will help MediaWiki go beyond just building wikis and provide an easier way to build non-wiki sites.
• Content translation and localization can be done through TranslateWiki and other existing tools.
• The community can collaborate to build on features and extensions.
• WMF and the community already supports MediaWiki, building microsites on any other framework will need additional support effort.

Features Needed

• Translation through TranslateWiki and other existing tools.
• Ability to include external Javascript libraries. Hopefully making it a bit easier than it is right now on MediaWiki to reference and add external libraries. Maybe an extension to manage third-party Javascript libraries.

Some Questions

• Can we remove all the chrome? Probably, Wikipedia donate page removes site chrome.
• Can we prohibit editing of site and/or give a select few access to edit?
• Can we build or integrate a way of uploading and visualizing CSV file, maybe a new extension making use of libraries like D3.js to make interactive visualizations?

Action Items

• Create template for clean page, with skin styles stripped out.
• Build an extension (or something else) for installing and using JS libraries.
• Build an extension for uploading and parsing CSV.
• Design and build a footer with Mediawiki project links.
• Design a Language switcher component that can be used across the microsites. 
• Build a place to house the Barebones Mediawiki where more people can download and use it for their projects.

Wikipedia SOPA blackout screenshot

Wikimedia Foundation Donate screenshot

Clients

These are some of the projects we think can use Barebones MediaWiki, though any such use would have to be carefully judged on its merits, beyond user experience alone:

• API Documentation & Developer Hub, WMF Analytics
• Transparency Report, WMF Legal and Community Advocacy
• Marketing site, Wikipedia Zero
• Wikimedia Foundation Home
• Wikimedia events (e.g., Language summit)

If you would like to use it too, please list yourself here.