Jump to content

User:OpenBook/Sandbox3: Difference between revisions

User:OpenBook/Sandbox3 (view source)

Revision as of 07:19, 8 October 2025

10,359 bytes added ,  07:19
no edit summary
VisualWikitext
(Created page with "{{Short description|Monthly news summary for U.S. federal web managers (September–October 2025)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=October 2025}} {{Infobox news event | title = Key News for Federal Web Managers | image = Seal of the United States Department of Government Efficiency.svg | alt = Seal of the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency | caption = Relevant to federal digital operations amid shutdown | date = {{Start date|2025|09|08}} – {{...")
 
No edit summary
 
Line 161: Line 161:
[[Category:Government shutdowns in the United States]]
[[Category:Government shutdowns in the United States]]
[[Category:Digital government]]
[[Category:Digital government]]
= MediaWiki News Roundup: September–Early October 2025 =
For the MediaWiki Community of Practice, here's a summary of key developments, announcements, and discussions from September 1–October 8, 2025. This draws from official Wikimedia channels, technical updates, events, and community discussions on X. The focus is on actionable insights for practitioners: upgrades, security, deployments, and ecosystem shifts. Items are grouped thematically, with October content highlighted in '''bold''' for quick reference.
== Technical Updates & Deployments ==
* '''Datacenter Switchover Tests''': All Wikimedia wikis entered read-only mode for several minutes on September 24 at 15:00 UTC. This biannual backup test supports server failover reliability. Practitioners: Review the [https://diff.wikimedia.org/ Diff blog] for prep tips if running mirrored setups.
* '''Mobile Domain Sunsetting Progress''': Rollouts continued with batch 2 (e.g., ca.wikipedia.org, he.wikipedia.org, it.wikipedia.org) on September 17, and wikimedia.org sites (excluding Commons) on September 29. '''Batch 5 rollout begins October 6–9: Announcement in [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Project:Tech_News/2025/41 Tech News 2025-41]; enable on remaining Wikipedias (except en.wikipedia.org) on October 7, and en.wikipedia.org on October 8.''' This reduces CDN purges and OAuth issues. Use <code>MobileContext->shouldDisplayMobile()</code> for backend detection. Full RFC details at [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Requests_for_comment/Sunsetting_the_mobile_domain mediawiki.org].<ref name="technews41">[https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Project:Tech_News/2025/41 Tech News 2025-41]</ref>
* '''Chart Extension Deployment''': Prototype testing wrapped in September/October; initial rollout to select wikis paused until 2025 for stability. Holiday-season testing window opens soon—ideal for CoP feedback on production readiness.<ref name="chartupdates">[https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:Chart/Project/Updates Extension:Chart Updates]</ref>
* '''REST API Sandbox Redesign''': The MediaWiki Interfaces team is rebuilding the sandbox using Codex for better developer UX. Expect beta access soon; aligns with ongoing RESTBase deprecation (e.g., /page/related endpoint blocked February 2025, but September saw migration guides published).
* '''Fandom's MediaWiki 1.43 Upgrade''': Fandom announced a phased rollout starting January 2025, with September focused on extension reviews (e.g., DPL, Cargo, Semantic MediaWiki). '''October 2025 prep phase includes default MediaWiki extensions review and community testing (2 months).''' Community testing clones available now—great for CoP members experimenting with complex templates.<ref name="fandomupgrade">[https://community.fandom.com/wiki/User_blog:MisterWoodhouse/The_FandomDesktop_Migration_to_MediaWiki_1.43 Fandom 1.43 Migration]</ref>
* '''API Gateway Reroute''': '''Starting October 6, API endpoints under rest.php will reroute through a new internal API Gateway. Rollout by standard release groups; expected to be non-disruptive. File Phabricator tickets for issues.'''<ref name="technews41" />
* '''Dark Mode Rollout''': '''Scheduled for October 29 on all Wikimedia sites: Anonymous users can activate light text on dark background for low-light reading.'''<ref name="technews41" />
== Security & Vulnerabilities ==
* '''EmbedVideo Extension XSS Fix''': CVE-2025-59839 (stored XSS in versions ≤4.0.0) was disclosed September 25. Update immediately if using this parser for video embeds. No exploits reported yet, but audit custom parser functions. [https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-59839 CVE Details]
* '''Bucket Extension Infinite Recursion''': '''CVE-2025-61766 (prior to v1.0.0) allows infinite recursion on queries, enabling DoS. Update to 1.0.0+ if using for structured data storage.''' [https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-61766 CVE-2025-61766]<ref name="cve61766">[https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-61766 CVE-2025-61766]</ref>
* '''DiscussionTools ReDoS''': '''CVE-2025-11175: Regular Expression Denial-of-Service in bundled extension. Update to latest version to prevent server overload from malicious inputs.''' [https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-11175 CVE-2025-11175]<ref name="cve11175">[https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-11175 CVE-2025-11175]</ref>
* '''Security Updates Released''': '''October 7: MediaWiki core patched to 1.44.2, 1.43.5, and 1.39.15. Apply immediately for hosted or self-managed instances.''' [https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/mediawiki-announce@lists.wikimedia.org/thread/ MediaWiki Announce]<ref name="securitypatch">[https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/MediaWiki_1.44/Release_notes MediaWiki 1.44 Release Notes]</ref>
== Events & Community Engagement ==
* '''MediaWiki Users and Developers Conference Fall 2025''': Prep ramped up in September—scholarship deadline September 30; early-bird tickets ended September 15. '''Event October 28–30 in Hanover, Germany: Sessions on BlueSpice BITV compliance, wikibase.cloud, extensions management, and visualizing content/data. Tutorials on October 28; keynotes include Tom Arrow (Wikimedia Germany). Hotel bookings at 103€/night single (book soon via group form).''' Sponsors include MyWikis and Professional Wiki. CoP opportunity: Submit talks on extensions or hosting. [https://www.semantic-mediawiki.org/wiki/MediaWiki_Users_and_Developers_Conference_Fall_2025 Conference Details]<ref name="conference">[https://www.semantic-mediawiki.org/wiki/MediaWiki_Users_and_Developers_Conference_Fall_2025 MediaWiki Conference Fall 2025]</ref>
* '''WikidataCon 2025''': '''Session proposals and registration open for October 31–November 2 (online): Theme "Connecting People through Linked Open Data."''' [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Project:Tech_News/2025/41 Tech News 2025-41]<ref name="technews41" />
* '''Wikimedia Hackathon Kochi 2025 Recap''': Held late September; focused on VideoCut Tool, Scribe app, and MediaWiki contributions. amFOSS community shared highlights—check for reusable code snippets on MediaWiki gadgets.
* '''Helix AI Roundtable Launch''': '''October 7: New MediaWiki-based platform for AI collaboration goes live with public forums, secure namespaces, and metacognitive engine optimizations. Built on Canadian infrastructure for data sovereignty.''' [https://helixai.app Helix AI Roundtable]<ref name="helixai">[https://helixai.app Helix AI Roundtable Launch]</ref>
== Ecosystem & Broader Discussions ==
* '''Grokipedia Announcement Sparks Debate''': xAI's September 30 reveal of Grokipedia (an open-source Wikipedia alternative) ignited X threads on MediaWiki's future. Users suggested forking MediaWiki for self-hosting, with calls for AI-assisted editing (e.g., fact-checking scripts). CoP angle: Explore integrating Grok APIs with MediaWiki for enhanced moderation—prototypes could emerge soon.
* '''Wikipedia Bias Critique by Co-Founder''': Larry Sanger's "Nine Theses" (posted September 29) called for reforms like competing articles and source transparency. X buzz highlighted blacklisted conservative outlets (e.g., Breitbart, Fox News) vs. approved liberal ones (e.g., NYT, CNN). '''October 6: Sen. Ted Cruz questions Wikipedia on bias amid conservative criticism.''' Practitioners: This underscores neutral citation policies; test tools like Citation Hunt for bias audits.<ref name="biascritique">[https://x.com/larrysanger/status/ Larry Sanger X Post]</ref>
* '''Extension & Toolkit Shifts''': Remotion phased out Media Parser in early September, sponsoring Mediabunny as the new open-source media library. If embedding multimedia, migrate for better web compatibility. '''October 7: Professional Wiki releases Page Approvals extension for approval workflows; integrates with Semantic MediaWiki queries. Open source and available now.''' [https://www.pro.wiki/news/mediawiki-page-approval-workflows Page Approvals Extension]<ref name="pageapprovals">[https://www.pro.wiki/news/mediawiki-page-approval-workflows Professional Wiki News]</ref> '''Also: Anti-spam guide for bot-proof CAPTCHA questions published.''' [https://www.pro.wiki Pro.wiki Anti-Spam Guide]<ref name="antispam">[https://www.pro.wiki Pro.wiki Anti-Spam Guide]</ref>
* '''Version Lifecycle Reminder''': MediaWiki 1.43 (LTS) remains stable; 1.44 in beta. September saw user reports of APCu caching issues in 1.43.3—disable if hitting edge cases during upgrades. '''See October security updates above for latest patches.'''
* '''Other Notables''': '''ProleWiki discusses mobile app challenges with MediaWiki.'''<ref name="prolewiki">[https://x.com/prolewiki/status/ ProleWiki X Post]</ref> '''EncycloForum launches as community hub for MediaWiki/Fandom/Miraheze enthusiasts.'''<ref name="encycloforum">[https://x.com/encycloforum/status/ EncycloForum X Post]</ref> '''Japanese note on Diagrams extension + Graphviz for correlation diagrams.'''<ref name="diagrams">[https://x.com/japanesewiki/status/ Japanese Wiki X Post]</ref>
== Quick Resources for CoP Members ==
{| class="wikitable"
! Category !! Key Link !! Why It Matters
|-
| Tech News Archive || [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Project:Tech_News Project:Tech_News]<ref name="technews41" /> || Weekly summaries; subscribe for alerts. Latest: 2025-41 (Oct 6).
|-
| Extension Updates || [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:Chart/Project/Updates Extension:Chart Updates]<ref name="chartupdates" /> || Deployment timelines for visuals.
|-
| Conference Tickets || [https://www.semantic-mediawiki.org/wiki/MediaWiki_Users_and_Developers_Conference_Fall_2025 MediaWiki Conference Fall 2025]<ref name="conference" /> || Hands-on networking; waitlist open post-deadline.
|-
| CVE Details || [https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-61766 CVE-2025-61766]<ref name="cve61766" /> || Patch notes for new vulnerabilities.
|-
| Approval Extension || [https://www.pro.wiki/news/mediawiki-page-approval-workflows Page Approvals Extension]<ref name="pageapprovals" /> || Workflow integration guide.
|-
| Anti-Spam Guide || [https://www.pro.wiki Pro.wiki Anti-Spam Guide]<ref name="antispam" /> || Bot protection tips.
|}
== References ==
<references />
Stay tuned—Mid-October could bring more on Wikimania Hackathon (Nairobi) and WikidataCon. If your CoP has specific focuses (e.g., Semantic MediaWiki), share for tailored deep dives!
Retrieved from ‘https://openusaproject.com/wiki/Special:MobileDiff/32835’