Last modified: 2014-09-02 17:20:34 UTC
Message keys are not capitalized in source files. They are used as page titles in the MediaWiki: namespace. Page titles in the MediaWiki: namespace are inital-capitalized, however. This is inconsistent and hinders copy&paste operations between various places for message translators and developers, while it is of literally no value for anyone else. Thus it should be better avoided, and page titles in the MediaWiki: namespace generally not be capitalized. Note: this is about how page titles are shown. There is no reason not to /find/ them when capitalized in searches, page links, transclusions, etc.
This would fix bug 19500.
I don't understand, are you sggesting to drop the default case-insensitiveness for the first letter in MediaWiki namespace? Seems a very bad idea to make such an exception.
Purodha: Could you answer comment 2, please?
(In reply to comment #2) > I don't understand, are you sggesting to drop the default > case-insensitiveness for the first letter in MediaWiki namespace? > Seems a very bad idea to make such an exception. As I understood it, the idea is to enforce lowercase first letters, i.e. MediaWiki:Edit redirecting to MediaWiki:edit, the other way around than is now the case. I think it makes sense.
Thanks. Still, redirecting doesn't seem a good idea; just a DISPLAYTITLE-like lowercasing of first letter should do it. Changing summary; revert if you think it's not what asked.
(In reply to comment #2) > I don't understand, are you sggesting to drop the default > case-insensitiveness for the first letter in MediaWiki > namespace? I suggest consistent display and use. Inside programs, in transclusions, and in other technical references to them, messages in the MediaWiki namespace are spelt lowercase first. Uppercasing them for some displays is inconsistent and unfriendly towards us who cannot copy-paste the uppercased version to other places where uppercasing would be wrong. Since these messages are rarely used or even looked at by non-techies, there is no need for excessive "beautification" of displays. If a wiki uses the equivalence of upper/lowercase first letters in titles, like Wikipedia does, lowercase display and uppercase use do not conflict, i.e. behaviour of the wiki would not change, even if one copied-pasted the lowercase version of a message title inside the wiki, where he previously copied-pasted an uppercase version.
(In reply to Nemo from comment #2) > I don't understand, are you sggesting to drop the default > case-insensitiveness for the first letter in MediaWiki namespace? Seems a > very bad idea to make such an exception. No, they should remain case insensitive. Only the title display should be lowerces - independent of wiki setup - so as to ease copy & paste operations and be consistent with source code conventions.
