BetaArchive Wiki:Wiki guidelines

Welcome to the BetaArchive Wiki contribution guidelines! New users are advised to read this before making any contribution to the wiki.

Disclaimer
These rules are not, and aren't meant to be exhaustive. Common sense is expected from all members.

In particular, exceptions are possible. If you think you have a good case for one, file a request here detailing why that exception is needed. You must do this before making the edit/creating the article.

Contributing

 * BetaArchive strives to be open in contributing. However, only builds that can be verified in some legitimate manner may be added here. Examples for legitimate sources include screenshots, a verifiable, legitimate site like Paul Thurrot's or an official Microsoft document. Examples for sources which may not be acceptable include open wiki sites like Wikipedia or BetaWiki (in such cases, consider the sources within the article itself) and Google groups or similar (unless backed up with sufficient evidence). The mere presence of a DLL or file screenshot of a build that is otherwise unverifiable is not acceptable either. Fakes are generally not allowed, but if included, they must be notable in some manner and must be clearly identified. Such builds usually do not get their own page, rather they should be placed in a section on the article which the fake actually is.
 * Articles about people and websites are not allowed, no matter their status or how notable they are. The exception to this is the article about BetaArchive alone for now.

Builds
Builds should be named in the following format:

For example, Windows Vista/6.0.5270.winmain idx03.051214-1910.

The forward slash is important, this ensures that MediaWiki recognises it as a subpage. When adding subpage links from the parent page (eg: builds for a particular OS), use the  link format. This will take you to the subpage and is the same as adding.

Note that only builds of a software should be under a subpage; for example, Windows 7 and Windows Vista should stay in their own root pages. Categories should normally be reserved for the Screenshots Gallery with the exception of Category:Microsoft Windows - do not categorise a build article itself but rather its screenshots.

Templates
Templates for the wiki should be added only in the Template namespace. Please make sure to add all templates to the Template category. Documentation for a template should be at  and can be transcluded into the main template using the Documentation template (simply add   after the template).

Attribution
This is mandatory. While BetaArchive Wiki does not explicitly disallow taking images and text from other wikis as long as the copyright (see below) is satisfiable, we require that you make this clear. In the past this mistake has commonly occurred with images and text from BetaWiki in particular.
 * If it is an image (i.e, goes in the File namespace), you must add the username of the uploader there and a link to the corresponding page in the original wiki. See this for an example.
 * If you want to copy an article for the purposes of improving it further here, and it is within the scope of this wiki, contact any moderator or administrator or post a request here to have it imported. Do not simply copy-paste it.

Microsoft KB Archive
The KB Archive follows somewhat different contribution requirements. Please see Microsoft_KB_Archive/Guidelines.

Uploading

 * Users may upload files to the wiki one week and ten edits after having an account.
 * If users need to upload files before then, please post a request here. Please do not upload them on Commons or elsewhere; in many cases such images are against their policies and will be taken down quickly! Even otherwise, uploading to third-party image hosts is usually not allowed.
 * Uploaded images should be tagged so that they appear in the screenshots gallery.
 * Uploading content unrelated to the wiki is not allowed, and may result in a block.
 * While not required, using the batch uploader will allow uploading multiple files at the same time.

Moving and redirecting

 * Users can move pages and subpages under a redirect when their account becomes autoconfirmed. To do so, look for a Move option on the top bar.
 * Non-autoconfirmed users cannot move pages, and should not try to by copy-pasting content from the old page to the new page. This affects the contribution history. Please post a request here if you need pages to be moved.
 * Redirects to an article are discouraged, and should only be done where there is a good reason to do so. Any user may redirect a page by replacing the content with.
 * Redirects created while moving pages should be tagged for deletion.
 * Helpers are allowed to move without redirects, but should discuss unclear cases with an administrator.

Accounts

 * All forum users MUST use the same username on the wiki. This is particularly important for the planned single sign on system as that depends on the forum and wiki usernames being the same. If evidence is found to the contrary, the user will be asked to rename their wiki account or risk getting blocked. Renaming the forum account is done only in exceptional cases due to the added complexity of doing so.
 * Users may have only one account at any time. This includes users who abandoned their old accounts for any reason - such users should continue using their old account or request a rename to their new account. If you have already started using your new account, merging the old and new accounts may be possible. In any case, post a request here.
 * Sockpuppeting, or creating more than one account at any time, is not allowed and users may receive a block on all their accounts if this is detected.
 * Abusive or usernames which are clearly intended to impersonate any user or any person on the forum or wiki will be met with an indefinite block without warning.
 * It is required to confirm your email address before editing - this includes users already on the wiki.
 * Banned users (for any length) may not use their talk page as a playground or for unrelated matters - the only reason is to discuss reasons or appeals with regard to their ban. Such users risk getting their talk page access revoked otherwise.

Language

 * This is an English-language wiki; therefore all content must be in English. This may exclude documents or images that are directly related to a build, and the Screenshots Gallery is similarly exempt.
 * The forum rules on civility are followed here; this means no swearing, anywhere on the wiki (this includes talk and user pages).
 * Attack pages against any user (whether related to BetaArchive or not) or complaints regarding other wikis or forums (i.e, except BetaArchive) should not be posted here.
 * Please do not "backseat moderate". If you have any issue with any user, please bring it up with an administrator, who will take further action if necessary. Other users may not warn or otherwise threaten to take any action against any user.
 * If you disagree with the actions of any moderator, please contact Andy or Mrpijey. Don't bring such issues out in the open.
 * Remember, talk pages for articles are only meant for discussion about the content of the respective page. They are not meant as a forum for general discussion about the article's topic. If you want to discuss something about any article's topic on the wiki, visit our forum.

Blocks

 * Blocked users are usually not allowed to create, move or edit any page on the wiki, usually to prevent vandalism and disruptive edits. Durations of blocks can vary depending on the severity of the rule broken.
 * Users may be blocked for a violation of any of the rules of this wiki or for other valid reasons. While a warning will often be issued before giving a block, this need not always be the case.
 * Users who are blocked are not allowed to create another account under any circumstances; such will be treated as sockpuppetry.
 * The talk page of blocked users are usually left open and should be used by the user for appeals and clarifications, however, abuse of that page may result in that option being revoked.
 * The forum account of a blocked wiki user may also be blocked, if it exists.

Licensing
All content (articles, images etc) on this wiki is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This does not preclude some proprietary images which will continue to be licensed under fair use.

Exception: The articles in Microsoft KB Archive are owned by Microsoft for the most part. Hence please do not reproduce content from that section without prior permission from a BetaArchive administrator or moderator.