BetaWiki:Guidelines

We would like to ask you to follow these common practices for creating and extending BetaWiki content to prevent any possible conflicts.

Breaking or abusing the rules, depending on the severity, can result in either a verbal warning on your talk page or a temporary/permanent ban on administators' discretion. Your article might end up in the Hall of Shame if you don't follow the guidelines.

By editing on BetaWiki you acknowledge that you have read these rules and guidelines.

Common rules
Please note that these rules are not exhaustive, so do not assume that not forbidden automatically means allowed.

General

 * Be civil to other users. Always assume good faith, unless you have a very good reason and/or evidence to do otherwise - don't bite the newcomers. Personal disputes should be kept off the wiki.


 * Any unoriginal content should be properly accredited to the original source. Don't copy content from other sites without providing at least a source URL.


 * Article subjects must meet the notability guidelines. Not everything is worth covering on BetaWiki.


 * Put some effort into new articles. Try to write at least a single paragraph about the subject when you create a new page. Articles that just consist of the formulaic "X is an Y of Z" and nothing else are not much better than no articles at all and get deleted.


 * Make sure that you link to the articles you create! If you don't, the article will get lost and probably will lead to another one being made, for no reason. Unlinked pages can be found here: Orphaned pages


 * Use a single account to edit the wiki. Any sockpuppet accounts created without previous approval will be banned, including the main account.


 * Try to avoid edit warring. If you are engaged in a content dispute, raise the issue on the respective talk page and mark the page with the Dispute template. Administrators can protect pages that have suffered from edit wars.

Legal

 * Do not provide or request any links to download builds. This wiki is only a knowledge base for these builds, and we will not provide these builds.


 * Do not provide links or instructions on how to crack software such as removing timebomb or bypassing activation. The distribution of these cracks end up being usually illegal, so do not attempt to add them on this wiki.


 * Do not post product keys or other activation codes that can be used in a retail version of the software. While the software developer might not care, it is very easy to find the keys online.

Talk pages

 * Prefix new talk page threads with a section heading. It makes an unnecessary mess from the page without these.


 * Sign your comments on talk pages. If you want to be anonymous, make a user account, the signature will bear your username instead.


 * Don't remove content from talk pages for reasons other than archiving or removing vandalism. This does not apply to your own user talk page, as long as you don't remove official notices and/or warnings from our staff (if any).


 * Talk pages are not a forum or an instant messaging service. Try to keep the discussion about wiki content. There are numerous other services for general and personal discussion, such as Discord.

Frequently asked questions

 * Can I change my username?
 * If your account is at least 6 months old and you haven't already done so less than 6 months ago, you can ask a bureaucrat to change your username. Please note that the appropriate rules still apply if you "change" your username by creating a new account!


 * Why can't I upload pictures?
 * Only autoconfirmed users can upload pictures. The autoconfirmed status is automatically given to all registered accounts that are at least 4 days old and made at least 10 edits.


 * Is BetaWiki related to BetaArchive or BetaWorld?
 * No, BetaWiki only happens to share the same focus as the other websites.


 * How can I download the builds?
 * We don't provide any downloads, however, versions that are marked as in a build list can be found and downloaded by some searching in most cases.

Date formats
BetaWiki uses the day–month–year (DMY) "long" date format (e.g., ' or ') in articles. However, use of the ISO 8601 year-month-day (YMD) numeric date format (e.g. ) is also acceptable where space is limited, such as tables or infoboxes, but not within the article text itself.

The following table further documents the preferred date formats:

Notability guidelines
There is a lot of software, and BetaWiki can't possibly cover every single version that somebody mentioned on the Internet. Therefore, we have a set of common notability guidelines to see if a subject is worth covering. They are not absolute, and we can make exemptions on a case-by-case basis for historically important subjects.

Applications and operating systems
An application or an operating system is considered notable if the product has been reasonably popular to the point that it has been covered by a reputable technology magazines (printed or on-line). This also applies to components of such products.

Operating system and applications mods are considered separate products, which also have to pass the notability criterion.

Software builds
Covering prototype builds and therefore researching the evolution of popular software is BetaWiki's main mission. A build is notable, if all following points apply:
 * 1) The product itself is notable
 * 2) The build has been sourced from a proper source
 * 3) The author of the source material is not considered unlikely to possess said version

The following sources are considered proper:
 * The build itself
 * A screenshot or video of the build that can be traced back to the original upload
 * An article about the build itself, or about its features, bugs, etc.
 * Internal documents, which have since then been made public

The following sources are also acceptable, if the build has been mentioned in more than one:
 * Warez CD list
 * Newsgroup discussions, comments, bug reports
 * Screenshots of download pages
 * File versions

A build is considered confirmed, if the source for the build is the developer himself, and thus there are no doubts about its legitimacy/existence.

We also cover fake builds in a limited fashion. A fake build is notable if in addition to the aforementioned criteria, the build has been considered to be real by reputable members of the community for a longer period of time, or has the potential to confuse new users about its legitimacy.

Tools
Aside from covering the actual software and its prototype versions, we also focus on tools that make using old betas easier, such as emulators, or unlockers of hidden functionality. These tools should of course be demonstrably used by the community in order to be considered notable.

Deletion policy
See Deletion policy

Windows
The specification above is the most verbose one and isn't going to be used a lot. In most cases BetaWiki covers only one build with a particular build number, in that case the lab (if any) should be omitted from the page name. Use the name that's reported by the RTM build in the version field, i.e.,  ,. If the full build tag contains a lab name, make sure to create a redirect from the most verbose form above to the reduced form of the page name (without lab), i.e. ⇒.

In case there are several known builds with the same build number but from different labs, names of the pages should contain the lab name. To maintain a degree of consistency, the reduced name without a lab should be used for a disambiguation between the individual builds. If there are several known builds with the same build number that come from the same lab (i.e. are distinguished by the build date and time only), add the full timestamp to the lab component, i.e..

For Windows versions that just used a major and a minor version number, use them in the version field and omit the buildnumber completely, i.e..

Don't mention the full update name for builds of Windows 10 updates, just use a plain numeral 10, i.e.:. On the other side, it's encouraged to make separate build listings for the individual updates, whose names should contain the official name of the update, i.e.:. The YYMM update version should redirect to the full name, for example  would redirect to the Creators Update mentioned before.

Redirects
To make searching for build pages easier, BetaWiki maintains a couple more redirects aside from the ones mentioned above:
 * 1) If the build has got an official name, we should redirect it to the main page, i.e.  ⇒.
 * 2) If there are more official builds with the same official name, redirect it to the main version page, i.e.  ⇒
 * 3) The full buildtag, both including and not including the major and minor version must redirect to the main article, i.e.  ⇒,  ⇒ . If there is a build number conflict between two versions of Windows, make a disambiguation at the conflicting redirect name.
 * 4) For already existing articles, the old-fashioned page name should redirect to the new page name for the purpose of not breaking old links.
 * 5) If the build calls itself by a codename, the combination of the codename and the build number should also be a redirect, i.e.  ⇒

Mac OS X
is meant to be the name of the particular release, i.e. Jaguar or Yosemite.

Infobox Windows build
See Template:Infobox Windows build

Infobox macOS build
See Template:Infobox macOS build

Rivals
Use when the build you're posting also has an article on BA wiki, has a build page on TCB or has a gallery on TCB.

BLItem
When creating buildlists, use the provided BLItem templates:
 * - use when the build was publicly leaked or released
 * - use when there is information available, which has been further proven by the developer
 * - use when there is information available, however no provided proof for it
 * - use when this build is fake, don't use if it's real and fake screenshots are also available

When sorting buildlists, the first thing that matters is the build number. If there are several different builds with the same number, always sort them like this:
 * 1) main branch (e.g. main, winmain, rsmain, rsmaster)
 * 2) release branch (e.g. beta1, xpclient, winmain_win8m3, etc.)
 * 3) dogfood/partner branch recompiles (e.g. idx, fbl_partner_out, etc.)
 * 4) other branches sorted alphabetically

Screenshots
Thanks to Foxlet for writing this! In brief, all original screenshots should be:
 * Cut to the exact size of the subject (desktop or application window)
 * Saved in a lossless format such as PNG
 * Taken at a period appropriate resolution and color depth
 * Featuring a clean, original install of the product
 * Using default settings, unless the intention is to show the effect of a setting
 * Void of any custom graphics not included with the product itself

If possible, use the Windows screenshot feature ( Print Screen key, Snipping Tool) to take pictures of the desktop, or use the screenshot feature if using a hypervisor/emulator. For "Full Screen" shots, if a cursor is present, it should be isolated in a corner of the background if possible (to show unique features of the cursor).

Article Screenshots
Each main article usually requires three components: the Desktop, the About window, and (sometimes) the Logo. In most cases, a build article only needs the first two. "Full Screen" shots (such as for the Desktop and Start Menu) should be 1024x768 in 16-bit color at minimum, unless the subject in question does not support such a video mode (for example, 1024x768 in 256 colors is fine for Windows 3.1 and early Windows 95 builds).

Screenshots must not use themes, wallpapers, or other graphics that are not included with the particular subject, even if they are "Demo" screenshots. Most screenshots should be taken with the default settings, unless the purpose of the screenshot is to demonstrate the effect of a setting. Screenshots should show the clean state after installation, without any extra installed software, unless they show a feature of the particular subject that cannot be demonstrated otherwise. Any personalization options can be reasonably demonstrated in a "Demo" screenshot in the Gallery. It is recommended to use a separate machine (virtual or not) with a clean copy of the operating system or application for the purpose of taking screenshots.

Desktop shots should be void of any extra windows, it should represent the state of the system when it is completely idle without any running programs. In the case that the OS shows a tool or special graphic (such as a welcome screen), that is known as a "First Boot" shot, and is separate from the Desktop shot.

Each article can also contain a Gallery, where other associated shots are contained. Additional full screen shots belong here, such as the "Demo" (which shows off particularly unique features of a build). The remaining shots are usually those of programs unique to a build. Those shots should be cropped to the size of the program's window (including transparency and window shadows if such effects are present). Child windows (if any) should be visible in their full area. The screenshots should be free of any watermarks, unless the respective build is unleaked and the only available screenshots are watermarked. Article screenshots should not be annotated in Paint or any other image editor, again the only exception is if there's no other screenshot available and the build is unleaked.

AeroShot is recommended for taking shots of programs under the Windows Aero theme.