InstallGentoo Wiki:General rules

Please note that the guide is an official policy, which serves as a guiding rule for the wiki's activities, and as such, this page is subject to constant improvements. However, due to the nature of communities involved, some of our rules may not be suitable, and the community can make suggestions by utilizing the talk page. Because of the mechanism of MediaWiki (Special:RecentChanges), we won't have to announce any addition/deletion to the rules.

This, along with IG:TERMS, are official policies of this wiki and must be followed at all times as long as you are using this service.

Welcome! Here's a simple guide to help you create a great article!

What should my article be about?

Shortcut: IG:ABOUT

Head on over to https://8ch.net/tech/ and https://boards.4chan.org/g/ and take a look at the threads on there. The stupid questions threads are excellent for topics to write about. You can also find some needed articles on the list on the main page and in the list of wanted pages.

If, on a technology board, different people will ask the same things, or you've felt at some time or another that there should have been a guide for something, then you have pretty good indication that there should be an article on it.

How should I write my article?

Shortcut: IG:WRITE

I'm glad you asked. Your article should be informative, and the main things people will be looking for when browsing this wiki are:

• What is (insert topic here)?
• Why should I use (insert topic here)?
• How do I use (insert topic here)?
• Where can I get (insert topic here)?

and last but not least

• What (insert topic here) does /g/ use or recommend?

These are the questions you should try to answer while writing your article.

Don't mislead people into false information

Shortcut: IG:FALSE

Remember, assume that everyone visit the wiki to find the right information. Because the administrators are unlikely to cover many topics at once, we cannot verify whether the content is true or not in an instant. Please do NOT mislead people into false information. The admins may ask general threads in corresponding imageboards to check whether your information is legitimate or misleading.

Don't use first-person remarks

Shortcut: IG:FIRSTPERSON

Avoid these words in a page: I, we, our, etc. Always use third-person remarks on any article. For guides, then you can use second-person remarks. However, you can use first-person remarks for section and sub-section titles (such as How should I write my article?).

Note: This rule does NOT affect the talk page and user page.

Don't shitpost with your own opinion unless you've got proof

Shortcut: IG:NOPROOF

Don't shitpost with your own opinion unless you've shown it to be true, and people generally agree with you (even if you have to convince them).

  Arch is a shitty distro that takes ages to set up and is crap because I haven't seen
  anything good come out of it. It's a waste of time too, so don't use it.

Do not add humor/false statements to your article

Shortcut: IG:HUMOR

Again, don't shitpost with your shitty sense of humor/ideas.

  Edward Snowden is a weeaboo and the savior of /g/ and /tech/. He is the god of free software. 
  Ever since he whistleblew, /g/ worships him. He is life!

This, along with shitposting without proof, are examples of what you should NOT do. People check out this wiki to become informed; not to have other peoples' unresearched opinions shoved down their throats. Just because you see people on /g/ act like this, does not mean you should write articles like this.

Common name

Shortcut: IG:COMMONNAME

Names are often used as article titles – such as the name of the person, place or thing that is the subject of the article. However, some topics have multiple names, and this can cause disputes as to which name should be used in the article's title. The Wiki generally prefers the name that is most commonly used (as determined by its prevalence in reliable English-language sources) as such names will usually best fit criteria such as recognizability and naturalness.

The Wiki does not necessarily use the subject's "official" name as an article title; it generally prefers to use the name that is most frequently used to refer to the subject in English-language reliable sources. This includes usage in the sources used as references for the article.

Editors should also consider the criteria outlined above. Ambiguous or inaccurate names for the article subject, as determined in reliable sources, are often avoided even though they may be more frequently used by reliable sources. Neutrality is also considered; our policy on neutral titles, and what neutrality in titles is, follows in the next section. Article titles should be neither vulgar (unless unavoidable) nor pedantic. When there are multiple names for a subject, all of them fairly common, and the most common has problems, it is perfectly reasonable to choose one of the others.

Although official, scientific, birth, original, or trademarked names are often used for article titles, the term or name most typically used in reliable sources is generally preferred. Other encyclopedias are among the sources that may be helpful in deciding what titles are in an encyclopedic register, as well as what names are most frequently used.

The following are examples of the application of the concept of commonly used names in support of recognizability:

In determining which of several alternative names is most frequently used, it is useful to observe the usage of major international organizations, major English-language media outlets, quality encyclopedias, geographic name servers, major scientific bodies, and notable scientific journals. A search engine may help to collect this data; when using a search engine and restrict the results to pages written in English. When using Google, generally a search of Google Books and News Archive should be defaulted to before a web search, as they concentrate reliable sources (exclude works from Books, LLC when searching Google Books). Search engine results are subject to certain biases and technical limitations.

When there is no single obvious term that is obviously the most frequently used for the topic, as used by a significant majority of reliable English language sources, editors should reach a consensus as to which title is best by considering the criteria listed above. Name changes

Sometimes, the subject of an article will undergo a change of name. When this occurs, COMMONNAME still applies, but we give extra weight to sources written after the name change is announced. If the sources written after the change is announced routinely use the "new" name, The Wiki should follow suit and change relevant titles to match. If, on the other hand, sources written after the name change is announced continue to use the "old" name, The Wiki should continue to do so as well, per IG:COMMONNAME.

The Wiki is not a crystal ball. We do not know what terms or names will be used in the future, but only what is and has been in use, and is therefore familiar to our readers. However, common sense can be applied – if the subject of an article changes its name, it is reasonable to consider the usage since the change. This provision also applies to names used as part of descriptive titles.

The following are examples of the application of the concept of commonly used names in support of recognizability:

People

• Bill Clinton (not: William Jefferson Clinton)
• Bono (not: Paul Hewson)
• Cat Stevens (not: Yusuf Islam or Steven Georgiou)
• François Mitterrand (not: François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand)
• John F. Kennedy (not: Jack Kennedy)
• Lady Gaga (not: Stefani Germanotta)
• Liberace (not: Władziu Liberace)
• Marie Curie (not: Marie Skłodowska-Curie)

Places

• The Hague (not: 's-Gravenhage)
• Halifax, Nova Scotia (not: Halifax Regional Municipality)
• Manhattan (not: New York County or County of New York)
• United Kingdom (not: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland)

Science and nature topics

• Caffeine (not: 1,3,7-Trimethyl-1H-purine-2,6(3H,7H)-dione)
• Down syndrome (not: Trisomy 21)
• Fuchsia (not: Lady's ear drops)
• Guinea pig (not: Cavia porcellus)

Other topics

• FIFA (not: Fédération Internationale de Football Association or International Federation of Association Football)
• McLaren (not: Vodafone McLaren Mercedes)
• Seven Samurai (not: Shichinin no Samurai)

(While all of the examples have no relevancy to /g/ or /tech/ at all, but you get what we meant.)

Neutrality

Shortcut: IG:NEUTRAL

All articles must be written from a neutral point of view, which means representing fairly, proportionately, and, as far as possible, without editorial bias, all of the significant views that have been published by reliable sources on a topic.

Achieving what the community understands as neutrality means carefully and critically analyzing a variety of reliable sources and then attempting to convey to the reader the information contained in them fairly, proportionately, and as far as possible without editorial bias. The wiki aims to describe disputes, but not engage in them (Remember, while the nature of /g/, /tech/ and other relevant boards are full of opinions, this wiki is aimed to give proper information without bias). Editors, while naturally having their own points of view, should strive in good faith to provide complete information, and not to promote one particular point of view over another. As such, the neutral point of view does not mean exclusion of certain points of view, but including all verifiable points of view which have sufficient due weight. Observe the following principles to achieve the level of neutrality that is appropriate:

• Avoid stating opinions as facts. Usually, articles will contain information about the significant opinions that have been expressed about their subjects. However, these opinions should not be stated in the wiki's voice. Rather, they should be attributed in the text to particular sources, or where justified, described as widespread views, etc. For example, an article should not state that "genocide is an evil action", but it may state that "genocide has been described by John X as the epitome of human evil."
• Avoid stating seriously contested assertions as facts. If different reliable sources make conflicting assertions about a matter, treat these assertions as opinions rather than facts, and do not present them as direct statements.
• Avoid stating facts as opinions. Uncontested and uncontroversial factual assertions made by reliable sources should normally be directly stated in The Wiki's voice. Unless a topic specifically deals with a disagreement over otherwise uncontested information, there is no need for specific attribution for the assertion, although it is helpful to add a reference link to the source in support of verifiability. Further, the passage should not be worded in any way that makes it appear to be contested.
• Prefer nonjudgmental language. A neutral point of view neither sympathizes with nor disparages its subject (or what reliable sources say about the subject), although this must sometimes be balanced against clarity. Present opinions and conflicting findings in a disinterested tone. Do not editorialize. When editorial bias towards one particular point of view can be detected the article needs to be fixed.
• Indicate the relative prominence of opposing views. Ensure that the reporting of different views on a subject adequately reflects the relative levels of support for those views, and that it does not give a false impression of parity, or give undue weight to a particular view.

Warning: Bias tendency, while mostly harmless, can lead to a breach of IG:FALSE, which may result in a ban.

Note: This rule does not affect user pages, which is your own user space, and talk pages, which discusses these kind of things.

How should I edit my article?

See Help:Editing and Help:Style.

User space

Shortcut: IG:USERSPACE

A userspace is basically your own page with its subpages, which has the prefix User:. This is your own personal space, you can write absolutely anything, as long as you do NOT break IG:TERMS, while it is encouraged to follow Help:Editing and Help:Style as your guide, it is not required because it's your safeuser space.

Keep in mind that you can only edit your own user (NOT user talk) page. Do NOT edit others' user page without their explicit permission.

Note: Your user space is not your personal sandbox. Use the Sandbox page if you want to test something.

Rule enforcement

Shortcut: IG:ENFORCE

The rules may or may not result in a ban, as such, it depends on the severity of the pages affected.

• Poor editing (not adhering to Help:Editing and Help:Style) will never result in a notice or a ban. But a breach to these guides must be fixed at once to preserve consistency, by admins or users.
• Breaking IG:HUMOR will result in:
  • First time: First-degree infraction notice
  • Second time: Second-degree infraction notice
  • n-th time, n > 2: 24 * (n - 2)-hour ban.
  • 10th time: Permanent ban.
• Breaking IG:NOPROOF will result in:
  • First time: First and second-degree infraction notice
  • n-th time, n > 1: 24 * (n - 1)-hour ban.
  • 5th time: Permanent ban.
• Breaking IG:FALSE will result in:
  • n-th time, < 3: n-week ban.
  • 3rd time: Permanent ban.
• Breaking IG:USERSPACE will result in:
  • First time: First-degree infraction notice
  • Second time: Second-degree infraction notice
  • n-th time, n > 2: 24 * (n - 1)-hour ban.
  • 5th time: Permanent ban.
• Edit warring:
  • The administrator(s) will protect the page, and the warring parties must settle it in its talk page, if impossible, the administrator will study the case and issue a verdict in a maximum timeframe of 24-hours, the punishment(s) may vary.
• Spamming with gibberish:
  • 1st time: Permanent ban, and no appeal.
• Breaking IG:TERMS will result in:
  • Termination of your InstallGentoo related service

If a new punishment method for a rule is issued, that rule will be effective in 0.1 seconds after an administrator edited this section.

If you are banned already, you can still make another account, but if the administrators ever discover you in your new account, you'll be banned permanently.

I know I am wrong, I want to be unbanned!

Good, while you are banned, you can still log in and edit your own talk page. Use it to appeal your ban. Timed ban less than 72 hours can NOT appeal.

If you abuse your talk page, your talk page will be protected in n month, raising by 1 everytime you abuse your own talk page. When the n reaches 5, you cannot appeal anymore.

Uh, what is an infraction notice?

An infraction notice is a nice information in your user page to show everyone that you are a bad kid. There are two degrees of infraction notice, the first-degree infraction notice, and the second-degree infraction notice. Basically, a second-degree infraction-notice is an extension of the first-degree infraction notice. This type of punishment are stacking, meaning that:

If you are enduring your first-degree notice, and a second-degree notice is issued, the first-degree punishment will be paused. That means your punishment time is the remaining time for your first-degree punishment + 2 months.

The effects of infraction notice while you have infraction notice(s), lasts for one month if you have first-degree infraction notice, and three months if you have the first and second-degree notice (stacking, 1 month and 2 month).

If you ever get this type of notice, do NOT remove the notice until the specified timeframe. Failure to comply means second-degree infraction notice (assuming you have the first-degree infraction notice) or 2-week ban. (second-degree infraction notice).

Anything else?

• Provide examples
• Use infographics/images if possible
• Try not to use too much technical jargon unless you explain what it means. Assume that anyone coming looking for a topic here doesn't know anything about it. Your article should be as easy to understand as possible, and as quick to understand as possible.
• Learn how to spell and use proper grammar.
• Learn and use the wiki formatting markup here. Nicer looking pages are easier to read.
  • If you find a shitty article, please mark it with the {{Cleanup}} tag.
• Provide tips and tricks or advice you've learned to make things easier

Now, get out there and start being useful, you swine.