Wikipedia talk:Historical archive/Sandbox

This is the talk page for the sandbox. Only start a serious conversation with caution here - it is more than likely that it will be trashed by newbies.

A summary of past discussions:

• The history of the sandbox does not need to be kept
• Template:Sandbox has the header.
• Interlanguage links moved to Wikipedia:Sandbox/International
• This page is for practicing the "post a comment" feature
• You can sign using ~~~~
• Wikipedia is great!

Proposed renaming of Wikipedia:Sandbox

I should really be asking this at Wikipedia_talk:Sandbox but I doubt too many people have that on their watchlist, and it is liable to get trashed. I think it would be a good idea to rename the sandbox to Wikipedia:Test area. At least in the UK, the word sandbox is not widely known - it is generally restricted to computer-savvy users for whom the sandbox is a common concept. As happily WP now has lots of non-computer-savvy editors, it would be good to help them out. I think a test area would be more widely used than the sandbox, thus reducing the clean up burden on RC-watchers.

I have a feeling that sandbox has a wider usage in the US? Even if this is true, Americans will still understand test area, so I see this as no-lose change. Sound ok to you? Pcb21| Pete 08:07, 15 Jul 2004 (UTC)

Sound good to me, at least :). Thue | talk 11:09, 15 Jul 2004 (UTC)

Sandbox. It's a box. Has sand in it. Little kids play around in it and make sandcastles. :) - Fennec (はさばくのきつね) 12:32, 15 Jul 2004 (UTC)

Yeah... it's not international enough. Pcb21| Pete 12:51, 15 Jul 2004 (UTC)

In England that's a sandpit. "Sandbox" is unknown. Marnanel 14:34, 15 Jul 2004 (UTC)

I don't like it. Sandbox is a feature of any wiki, and it's well known as such. Dori | Talk 12:59, Jul 15, 2004 (UTC)

It is aimed at being helpful to the general reader, rather than those already familiar with wikis (who probably don't need to use it! :)) Pcb21| Pete 13:12, 15 Jul 2004 (UTC)

It's also been mentioned as a Sandbox in many news articles. It will confuse those first time readers who come looking for a Sandbox and have trouble finding it. Dori | Talk 13:21, Jul 15, 2004 (UTC)

I really don't buy that at all. I think it is more that you just like the old name better. Pcb21| Pete 15:07, 15 Jul 2004 (UTC)

Isn't that what a REDIRECT is good for? Actually I think someone's already done it, so unless there's one of those war thingies over it, this is now a moot point. --Phil | Talk 13:33, Jul 15, 2004 (UTC)

I agree completely with what Dori said. Having a sandbox is as much part of a wiki as having "edit this page". Please don't change it. Angela. 14:20, 15 Jul 2004 (UTC)

What's next? Will we be moving Wikipedia:Village pump to Wikipedia:Talk area? I strongly concur with Dori and Angela. Please move it back. -- Hadal 14:25, 15 Jul 2004 (UTC)

Another 'vote' to keep it the way it was and has always been. As my own English is a mixture of British and American English, I never realized there was a difference in what a sandbox is called. Which brings me to the point: what is the sand-filled box in a playground called in the United Kingdom? This is only a matter of curiosity. No matter what the response is, I think the page should remain where it is. - David Remahl 14:28, 15 Jul 2004 (UTC)

It's called a sandpit.

I personally find the reasons to move it back utterly unconvincing. Wikis traditionally have a sandbox because they grew out of computing background where there is a history of using this word with (roughly) this meaning. No-one has told me why my original point about accessibility was wrong, only said something about "wiki tradition". Wikipedia is about the least wiki wiki there is! Pcb21| Pete 15:07, 15 Jul 2004 (UTC)

[Daily grumpy-ometer reading : high] Maybe we should also note this sacred wiki tradition on our article on wiki. Pcb21| Pete (against IRC groupthink since 2004)

Fair 'nuff, move it back again. Then we can have a REDIRECT at Test Area to satisfy those who like that name, and everybody will be happy... and later on in the show, a troop of monkeys will fly out of my butt singing the Hallelujah Chorus --Phil | Talk 14:35, Jul 15, 2004 (UTC)

Basically US english speakers will know what a sandbox is. UK english speakers will known it is some sort of computer test area (if they've come across it). Until recently I had no idea that a sandbox was a sandpit. I just presumed it was jargon. Secretlondon 20:11, 15 Jul 2004 (UTC)

Test area is far too suggestive, at least to my mind, of nuclear testing. Do we really want to go there? A redirect is okay, but certainly not renaming. By the way, I've created Wikipedia:Sandpit as another redirect. --Michael Snow 17:56, 15 Jul 2004 (UTC)

Given that the nature of the page means there is no need to preserve the data on this page, we can easily support both names. -- Jmabel 01:17, Jul 16, 2004 (UTC)

• I'm sitting on the fence here. As a British, non-technical person I found Sandbox not at all intuitive. However, I think it's cute ;o) But I do feel that any time you have two names for one thing confusion reigns. The uninitiated are bound to assume that the two names refer to different things. --bodnotbod 15:32, Jul 17, 2004 (UTC)

"Sandpit" would be cute. "Sandbox" is incomprehensible. "Test area" or "Testing page" is neutral. It should be moved back to a standard and international location. — Chameleon My page/My talk 15:52, 21 Jul 2004 (UTC)

Oh, puh-lease!!!!! Can we get back to doing something constructive, rather than self-indulgent arguments about whether changing something which has been in place since way-back-when is a "bold and daring move"? Insofar as I can gather, "Sandbox" is the "standard and international location" for "a page on a Wiki which can be freely edited to practice the process of editing and will be reverted/cleared without notice". I'm getting crabby now, must be time to go home for the evening --Phil | Talk 17:06, Jul 21, 2004 (UTC)

Why not name it "dumb newbie" page? Everyone will recognize that --1pezguy 03:45, Jul 23, 2004 (UTC)

• Well yeah, but then where will the smart newbies be expected to go?--Aqua 21:58, Aug 4, 2004 (UTC)

Call it "Fred", that way only those of us who've read this page and talk loudly in restaurants will know what the heck it is (nudge, nudge, wink, wink) Fred

I'm English, but I figured out what a 'sandbox'is. Cheese 16:28, 2 Aug 2004 (UTC)

Im a newbie

This sandbox is a great idea, and I personally like the name of it too - 'sandbox.' I have a question though, is this something new? Has any other websites ever added a tool such as this before? and one last question - How does wikipedia plan on using this? I can think of a few good ideas for it, but I'm having trouble seeing where wikipedia plans on going with this idea? thanks for your guys' time. -Tom

No, it's not something new, it's something that's been around for as long as the site has. More importantly, I think you've missed the point of this page - this isn't a special kind of page, it's just a place to practise the kind of thing anyone can do on any page in Wikipedia: edit. It's there because people aren't used to the idea of being able to directly edit everything they see, and certainly won't be used to the formatting commands that the site uses. So Wikipedia doesn't plan on using the sandbox for anything, it's for people like you to practice in. Take a look at Wikipedia:Welcome, newcomers for more explanations of what the site is, and how it all works. - IMSoP 18:06, 26 Jul 2004 (UTC)

hery this is good

TOCs and Inuse notices

Is it ok that I put an example TOC and Inuse notice in the Sandbox (I pointed them out, and if not ok, please delete them)

/to do

Are there any good free downloading webpages on the net

Yes, shedloads. Let us know when you find one? --Phil | Talk 10:20, Aug 5, 2004 (UTC)

TEST

This is a test on my part. This is a test like many others, with the author simply trying to see what happens when the all mighty edit button is pushed. If the test is a success then more editing will follow but if it fails only doom can follow......

~~ Swarm, of the Ghost Recon and Call of Duty Fame

Hi, I'm a wiki newbie. Please don't hurt me. Just let me hang out in the shallow end of the pool for a little while.

--Sjroby 19:47, 12 Aug 2004 (UTC)

Three Boingos and with a Bip follow up.

Boingo Boingo Boingo

Bip. Boingo Boingo Boingo'Boingo Boingo Boingo'Boingo Boingo Boingo'Boingo Boingo Boingo'Boingo Boingo Boingo'Boingo Boingo Boingo'Boingo Boingo Boingo'Boingo Boingo Boingo'Boingo Boingo Boingo

Test

I'm a Wikipedia newbie

strangeloop 18:35, 13 Aug 2004 (UTC)

indeed - sf

test test test

this is a test. Obviously. Borofkin 00:34, 16 Aug 2004 (UTC)

and a futrhter ttest

I wonder what the + button does

Now I see.

Seriously, I take it this page is a sandbox discussion, rather than a discussion about the sandbox.

a new comment - ignore

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