User blog comment:BertH/Wikia's evolution continues with VisualEditor/@comment-3441771-20131016145259

MediaWiki editor for Oasis! OK.. so that's what I'm calling it, right, MediaWiki calls the current version Extension:WikiEditor, which I'm not so sure about. I don't know whether or not the original was called that so forgive me for calling it the "MediaWiki editor".

Anyway, my point: I think that Wikians who know, or who just care about, Wikitext, and who use Oasis as well should lobby Wikia for the "Classic editor" *twitch over the term* to be scrapped... (wait! wait! hold your horses!) ... in favor of the MediaWiki editor that MonoBook has. Wikia has just said, and I quote... &ldquo;[O]nce the new VisualEditor has all the features you need (and some new ones too), we'll be retiring Wikia's current visual option.&rdquo; So? So, there's no reason to keep the ghastly source editor Wikia constructed for Oasis, or was it for the old visual editor's introduction? (Before my time.)

Either way, Wikia created that whole separate edit page thinking that *all* users were going to be using it. Now that most users will be switching over to the VisualEditor, it makes sense to give us&mdash;those that will disable it&mdash;back a true text editor.

This would make a sourcetopia! There's a lot of rubbish in the current editor which is completely unnecessary. The right-rail, for one, has absolutely no use coupled with a text editor. Especially the category module which we all know is like filling a bucket while under water if in source mode. Everything the right-rail has can be done by (custom) edit buttons across the top 10x better... plus!

Then there's the fact that this should be faster to load. The page does not have to reinvent the wheel, but rather just replace #WikiaArticle (the content space) with the MediaWiki editor. Otherwise everything that would normally be there would still be there in "edit mode". The navigation, the right rail, the footer etc. Heck! you could go to chat from within edit mode! from the same module in the right rail!

Previewing would not have to have a Lightbox (pop-up) it would simply build the page above the editor (like in MonoBook).

@Wikia: I know you've just created that fluid previewer, but I'm sure it could work on a larger scale. Or have a separate pop-up for previewing in different resolutions. In many respects the former system makes previewing much more true to the final result. And the old MediaWiki editor being embedded into the content space, looks much more like your new VisualEditor.

I'm really trying to appeal to those that (will) have turned the visual editing off. But it makes little difference to other users anyway. &ldquo;A visual editor is currently under development as Extension:VisualEditor. The editor would replace and/or supplement the current wikimarkup-based editing form that is currently in widespread use by MediaWiki.&rdquo; &mdash; From MediaWiki.org This is what we're up against! Even the inventors of (the best) wikitext don't love it anymore! Predicted FAQs
 * Aren't you just stating you own opinion?
 * Yep. But it doesn't have to stay that way. :)
 * But I'm not interested in wikitext, why should I care?
 * You don't have to. You'll probably never see a true source mode ever again, so whether or not there's an old or a new text editor hidden somewhere won't matter to you, will it?
 * Why don't you just use MonoBook?
 * I probably will be if VisualEditor's source mode is all that's offered at some point in the not so distant future. But I... *sobs* ... really like Oasis.. *whimper* ... it's all I've known on Wikia... *breaks down completely*
 * When VisualEditor has a source-mode, isn't Wikia going to discontinue the old text editor anyway?
 * Shut up! and never mention that again. No, seriously, that's something I'm glossing over and hoping to avoid happening with this lobby.