WikiRefactoring

Code refactoring is changing the implementation of existing code without changing its external behavior. Wiki refactoring should be changing the content of wiki without changing its meaning. Consider, while thinking about meaning:

• The idea presented;
• The supporting arguments;
• The style of presentation;
• The attribution or lack of it;

If you're really refactoring, none of these would be changed. Only the words.

The test for Wiki refactoring is whether you end up happy in the end. Sociopaths will be happy that this test lets them do whatever they want, but no test can deter them from doing whatever they want anyhow. For the rest of us, the combination of liking an edit and being satisified with the community's response to it is as good a test as you're going to get.

Source: Wiki:WikiRefactoringSummary

Discussions

I am cross posting two comments below from the TWikiDevMailingList, I hope this is OK.

-- PeterThoeny - 08 Aug 2003

People MUST have the right to remove comments & discussion they have contributed on any Wiki site or neither the copyright statement nor the community means a thing.

-- MichaelSparks - 07 Aug 2003

People must have the right to remove, change, edit, reword, refactor the comments ANYBODY has contributed. This is a fundamental principle of wikidom. Without it we are confined to a permanent ThreadMode discussion a la BBS or newsgroups, in which case there is no need for wiki.

You need to be free to strike your thoughts, just we need to be free to restore them.

Wiki:MindWipeDiscussion

-- MattWilkie - 08 Aug 2003

Agreed. DocumentMode is very important and could/should be used more in Codev to distill the docs of a feature. I did not agree with the (understandably in anger) action of removing speech without refactoring the page. That is, it is fine to remove one's and anyone's speech if the context does not suffer and if it is in the spirit of refactoring and bringing out the essence of the topic.

-- PeterThoeny - 08 Aug 2003