User blog:SuperTalker101/UCP in 5 minutes

A glossary will be at the bottom of the page

UCP (Unified Community Platform) is a new platform introduced by Fandom in order to replace an old and heavily customized operating version (an older version of MediaWiki). This update is mainly directed towards replacing the older wikis (known collectively as "legacy" wikis) to introduce new perks as part of the newer MediaWiki versions.

What are the perks?
The new UCP Platform introduces:
 * the latest features from the Wikimedia Foundation (maintainers of MediaWiki software).
 * an easier way to enable more new and modern extensions.
 * faster development and rollout of brand new features to both Fandom and Gamepedia. (more on Gamepedia later)
 * Mmoile editing on all of Fandom

Fandom's plan on how to upgrade
Fandom's upgrade plan to convert all "legacy" wikis to UCP has two phases, many of which branch out to different sub-phases.

To be frank, converting to UCP is no easy job, so this phase is estimated to take quite some time.

Phase 1 (PRESENT)
At this point, users have just been introduced to the UCP platform, and Fandom is still getting to know how people think about it. This stage is mainly concerned with the transition. Testing
 * Testing
 * New wikis UCP
 * Simple conversion
 * Data analysis
 * Don't forget Gamepedia!

All new features on the UCP must be tested before pushing to development, and then undergoing final checks before being published. This involves fixing as many issues as possible before a UCP update becomes public. This is no easy job, as these MediaWiki updates cause many features to break as a result of deprecated features.

New wikis UCP

All new wikis that are created (for specifically, after March 11, 2020) will be UCP. This is not negotiable. That being said, it may be a pain to use the create new wikis, especially if you are an experienced "legacy" wiki user as many custom features such as JS and CSS will not work. You can view CSS and JS enhancements that work and don't work here on the Fandom Developer's Wiki.

Simple conversion

Simple conversion involves migrating (switching wikis from the "legacy" platform to UCP) basic wikis which don't have major CSS and/or JS enhancements. This will help Fandom understand how users react to the platform, including clever ways in which they can circumvent the restrictions imposed by UCP. This data will then be used for the next stage.

Data analysis

After thorough data anlysis, Fandom developers will continue migrating wikis after steps which they have taken in accordance to the data they have received. Without proper response this is likely to cause massive outages in features.

Don't forget Gamepedia!

Once Fandom has sorted its own can of worms, it can begin to start working on migrating Gamepedia wikis to the UCP platform.

Phase 2
The majority of wikis have been migrated, and Fandom is starting to improve major factors like user experience and enabling broken features. User experience
 * User experience
 * Customization
 * Turning feedback to improved reality
 * Search engine improvements
 * Community growing

Combining Gamepedia and Fandom user experiences today is no easy job, so making sure that users on both platforms can work together to achieve a result that both are satisfied with is their goal.

Customization

At this stage, Fandom begins working on customization issues such as CSS and JS features that are broken. Keep in mind that some may be permanently deprecated as a result of their efforts for an improved MediaWiki version - like we saw in chat*.

Turning feedback to improved reality

Fandom will then turn their attention to the feedback. Although they are actively doing this, during this sub-phase they will be particularly emphasizing your user feedback. This involves introducing new features that could be helpful.

Search engine improvements

Maybe a better way to explain this is: "Wiki discovery imporovements", but as of yet there is little news on this topic so we're gonna have to settle with this. Basically, Fandom wants to make it easier for wikis to be discovered.

Community growing

Once there are better tools and functions in place to attract new users to your wikis, Fandom's next aim is to convert them to registered users and get them editing or engaging with your discussions. They hope to improve that process and, therefore, help grow your communities. (this was copied from Fandom's help page)

Additional Information
For the extremely noble few for have more than 5 minutes to learn about UCP

Response
The response to the UCP was mainly negative, for many users were frustrated that many features (CSS & JS) were broken. This issue is likely to be mitigated during Phase 2.

Useful Resources
Official UCP Help Page

What works and doesn't work on UCP (CSS & JS & AJAX)

The latest updates


 * Chat was an add on which was not specifically part of MediaWiki. However, it was deprecated as part of the migration.

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Acknowledgements
Special thanks to the following users on the Fandom Developer's Discord Server for their feedback:
 * BryghtShadow
 * Unai
 * Kocka