User blog comment:TOR/MediaWiki Upgrade/@comment-10637-20120612170952

Why is it important to keep Wikia's software up to date with the latest version of Mediawiki? Can't we just continue to move forward with the modified version? Having the engineers spend three months on an upgrade doesn't seem like a worthwhile effort when the new features don't appear to improve the user's experience all that much.

Couldn't that time be better spent working on making features that will help new users? For example, it is mentioned that the default signature code will now include a link to the user's talk page. Since most people have to be taught to use those four tildes every time they post something, or have to learn where and how to indent every time a new response in the conversation is made, wouldn't it make more sense to build in a system where a user's comments are automatically signed by the software?

Forgive me for sounding harsh, but it seems like a lot of work with very little real benefit to the average user. But maybe I just don't understand the full importance of the under-the-hood code.

As always, thanks for reporting the progress behind-the-scenes. As an active editor, it means a lot to me that Wikia is keeping us informed about the maintenance of the site we love so much.