User talk:SmackBot
For general comments or one-off, minor or historical problems (more than two days ago is historical), or plaudits please use User_talk:Rich Farmbrough.
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If you are not sure, be on the safe side and stop it - I don't mind - honest!
Please mention an article that has been affected.
Note: messages are moved to an archive
Replies will generally be on the user's own page, and copied to the archive if I find time.
Rich Farmbrough 08:48 14 June 2006 (UTC).
SmackBot damages tags
SmackBot made disruptive edits to South Korea. While SmackBot is acting in good faith, SmackBot is damaging articles and needs testing and validation. SmackBot is being debugged on live articles and this must stop.
The author of SmackBot, while responsive to bug reports, is blissfully unaware of the wide-spread damage SmackBot causes. Part of the problem is that SmackBot's arbitrary changes to tags throughout an article mask subtle errors introduced by SmackBot.
If SmackBot insists upon absolute correctness, then it also must be absolutely correct in its automated edits. It must not create damaged or incorrectly-formatted tags. It must know and follow the grammar rules of all the tags it changes. Before it's re-released, SmackBot must be tested against the complete grammar of the tags it edits, not just the simplest cases.
In this change log, SmackBot has used its rule-based programming methods to make arbitrary changes to the South Korea article.
However, damaging changes cannot be excused. An example is SmackBot's removal of tag notes. While SmackBot is correct in changing 2009-02-17 to February 2009, it failed to account for the tag's grammar rule. In the process, it removed a useful editor note. SmackBot doesn't understand the grammar rules of Template:FACT and has damaged the tag.
Line 150: article: {{fact|reason=no reference for this footnote|date=2009-02-17}}, SmackBot: {{Fact|date=February 2009|}}
"Grammar" rule for Template:FACT: {{fact|reason=please give a reliable source for this assertion. How about Laurence Olivier?}}
SmackBot makes many arbitrary changes. While this optimization at line 173 is preferred, it's unnecessary.
Line 173: article: [[South Vietnam|South Vietnamese]], SmackBot: [[South Vietnam]]ese
The arbitrary change at line 163 is an example of disruptive editing. It has no effect. SmackBot should not make this type of change.
Line 163: removal of a newline for no good reason and to no effect on the article.
I applaud SmackBot's attempt to perform date-maintenance edits. However, it must not make arbitrary changes that mask the damaging errors it may introduce. SmackBot is not yet smart enough to perform the tasks it's attempting.