User blog comment:MisterWoodhouse/Unified Community Platform: The Vision, Purpose, and Process/@comment-9605025-20200221030349/@comment-24006128-20200221130047

>So does that mean that all, or nearly so, custom features are being removed/replaced rather than updated?

No. Some custom features are able to be broken out from MediaWiki and reinserted.

>Are there plans to merge the new achievements system with the current one? If not, what will happen to badges users have gotten using the current system?

During Phase 1, the two Achievement systems will live side-by-side as we decide what the best way forward is for our users with a great achievement experience.

>So all of this is happening in the next 5 months even while extensions/custom features are still in review?

We'll be constantly rolling out features as they become ready for the platform.

>Will the staggered timing be based on when extensions/custom features become available or simply based on a deadline? If the latter, I am concerned about wikis being moved and things breaking due to a lack of extensions/custom features.

It's based on our reading of the data and how wikis are performing. Our aim is to hold off on migrating a wiki until the platform has the features it needs up and running.

>Legacy platforms question

Correct. There will be no content to worry about once we reach that stage and shutting off the legacy platforms will be the finish line for Phase 1. It is how we cut and dry the work as complete.

>Please tell me this doesn't mean just resizing a mobile layout to fit a desktop/laptop. This is perceived to be the case for Discussions and is, from what I can tell, one of the largest criticisms for why Discussions is desktop un-friendly. One issue I repeatedly see is layouts that are stunning on desktop but terrible on mobile. So clearly there is no easy way to start with one and minimally adapt if for the other. From current experience, I am seriously skeptical that you can get a "uniform look-and-feel" across devices while simultaneously maximizing the experience for both.

I have nothing specific to share about Phase 2 designs.

>FANDOM has already been rolling out SEO-related changes with the purpose of increasing the rankings for article pages. However, what about images? There are some concerns that, while the recent changes have improved article SEO, they may have harmed image SEO.

We're aware of the image SEO concerns. I have nothing to announce on that.

>Visual editor question

The source tab is a temporary solution will we get the Wiki Editor up and running on the UCP.

>Category URLs

That is great feedback and I'll see that it gets to the team working on Discussions/Feeds enhancements!

>New Creation question about blocked users

As tough as this sounds, blocked users are going to have to live with the consequences of their actions. At the same time, we can do more to ensure that admins are making blocks in good faith.

>Those comments on message walls and comments don't actually say much. All I got from it was "they will be displayed where they are currently displayed". The "details" provided so far have done nothing to address the issues raised as a result of the Forum to Discussion transition.

With such a long post, it was not logical to do into such detail on those replacements. They truly do serve the same use case as before, on newer software that won't impair our ability to update MediaWiki effectively. We're not reinventing the wheel with Article Comments and Message Walls in Phase 1. I'm beginning work on more detailed dives into each Phase 1 change area to be released over the next few weeks or month.