MediaWiki.org is for the documentation of the MediaWiki software, and software that integrates into it.
MediaWiki.org has only one topic: the wiki engine MediaWiki and connected software, such as extensions and skins.It includes documentation for some related software that runs externally but connects to and relies on a MediaWiki installation.
Manual:Contents will be the front door to comprehensiveMediaWiki system administration documentation.
Help:Contents will be the front door toMediaWiki generic site user help (licensed as public domain for easy inclusion into any MediaWiki instance).
This site includes descriptions of and tutorials for the MediaWiki software. If you are looking to write a free manual for other software, have a look atWikibooks, which is a sister-project that is suited for such things.
Discussion about Wikimedia projects in general should go toMeta-Wiki.
Even though there are some pages in other languages, English is the main language on this site.Translation efforts are needed.
You are currently at a website called MediaWiki.org. Unless you are asoftware developer or someone whoinstalls computer software, you probably ended up here accidentally. MediaWiki.org is not the free encyclopedia Wikipedia. Please readthis article if you are confused about the names. Wikipedia is a wiki running the software documented by this site. If you're interested in working on the free encyclopedia,check it out directly.
MediaWiki is not Wikimedia Wikitech
MediaWiki.org is not intended for Wikimedia-specific technical documentation. Please readthis article if you are confused about the names and scope. Wikimedia is a group of wikis running some software documented on this site. Please seewikitech:Main Page.
MediaWiki.org is not a free host or webspace provider
This site is not meant to store private, commercial or any other content that is unrelated to the MediaWiki software. It is also not meant to be used as a test wiki, e.g. to try out formatting (only use ourProject:Sandbox for that or have a look at ourtest wiki) or to create validHTML content for foreign projects.
You may not host your own website, homepage,blog, or wiki at MediaWiki.org. If you are interested in using the wiki technology for a collaborative effort on something else, even if it is just a single page, there are manywebsites that provide wiki hosting, either free or for money. You can alsoinstall wiki software on your server; see theWiki science wikibook for information on doing this.
Of course, users can have their own personal pages, but they are used for information relevant to working on MediaWiki.org. If you are looking to make a personal webpage that is not related to MediaWiki, please make use of one of the many free homepage providers on the Internet orfind a suitable blog. Advertising, especially external links, may be removed from a user's page when there are no relevant contributions related to MediaWiki.
MediaWiki.org is not a repository of links, images, or media files
This site is neither amirror nor a repository of links, images, or media files. Please upload only files that are useful for MediaWiki.org and provide full information on source and a free license; everything else will bedeleted. Read the upload instructions carefully and consider uploading media files to theWikimedia Commons, where they can be linked from all Wikimedia projects.
All content added to MediaWiki.org may have to be edited mercilessly, and can be redistributed at will. By submitting any content, you agree to release it for free use under theCreative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License (CC BY-SA) or if it is stated explicitly, as Public Domain.
MediaWiki.org is not an indiscriminate collection of information
This site is not an indiscriminate collection of items relating to every project utilizing MediaWiki software. Articles dealing with other software issues, or issues with individual wikis, are not suitable for this site. Please try to stay on the task of creating contents concerning the MediaWiki software itself.
MediaWiki.org is not a forum or a chatroom
Don't (mis)use this site, especially user pages and talk pages, as a forum, bulletin board or chatroom. We have anIRC channel for that:#mediawikiconnect.
The first edit in the current wiki on this site happened in August 2004. All the content still is and, of course, will bework in progress. For more about the software history, seeMediaWiki history.
