Recently departed user Sorte Slyngel has asked that their username be removed from the site. It's extremely easy to do this. I previously replaced all instances of the signature "[[User:Sorte Slyngel|Sorte Slyngel]] ([[User talk:Sorte Slyngel|talk]])" with "[[User:Uppivindinn|Uppivindinn]] ([[User talk:Uppivindinn|talk]])." This scrubs most mentions of the username from most pages but still links people to a page from which Uppivindinn's contributions can be accessed.
I could also more generally replace all instances of "Sorte Slyngel" with "Uppivindinn". This might break something, but probably not.
However, Weaseloid reverted the topmost scrubbing and asked that I get community consensus. So:
Sir ℱ℧ℤℤϒℂᗩℑᑭƠℑᗩℑƠ 
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talk/
stalk) 15:35, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
[edit] Don't allow username scrubbing
- FCP is pandering to one ex member's wishes and ought to stop now. Pippa (talk) 16:36, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
- seems like you're doing a pile of work (and setting a precedent) for one person who was an irritant. Why? Just because you can doesn't mean you should. Just change their username by the usual method. Flannan Isle (talk) 18:17, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
- Don't. A user can change a name going forward, but no need to do it retroactively. Besides, it screws with the conversation when a person refers to a prior comment. If FuckPants posts something and I respond "Hey FuckPants, stop it", I'll retroactively look like an ass when FuckPants becomes Pretty Doll Head. Don't do that to me. MarmotHead (talk) 20:53, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
- As said above. This would fuck up every archive that contains Sorte's name. Besides, why would we need to erase his name from the records? It's not as if it's his property that he can force us to remove at his bidding. (I know it was FCP who did this, but just in case anyone was going to make this point)--JorisEnter (talk) 20:55, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
[edit] Allow signature scrubbing
[edit] Allow general scrubbing
- It's a shame MediaWiki doesn't incorporate this. FᴜᴢᴢʏCᴀᴛPᴏᴛᴀᴛᴏ, Esϙᴜɪʀᴇ
(talk/stalk) 15:35, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
- I don't know why we even need a vote on this.--Owlman (talk) (mail) 15:53, 4 April 2016 (UTC) 15:53, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
- As long as this doesn't break any continuity of now-archived discussions held with and/or about the user, as long as it is technically simple to both do and reverse (in case of error), as long as it's only done on request and as long as the procedure is standardized, e.g. always performed by The Fuzz and not done in a haphazard way in future cases... as long as all this is met, I don't see why not, especially in cases where it might help a LANCB'd user to more fully separate from the site and/or maybe not hold extra grudge towards the site that may or may not ferment into accosting the site at some future time. Reverend Black Percy (talk) 17:21, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
[edit] Discussion
This requires considerably more discussion. As in, why are we disrupting the wiki for a dramatist? And what exactly is changing the username to another known username going to do to hide their trail of drama as they wish? I mean there's LANCB and there's "ok, you're gone, we'll remove your name a bit", then there's whatever this is. And you just know the guy's gonna be back repeatedly -
David Gerard (
talk) 16:02, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
Meh, a bunch of people who've left have asked for stuff like this (as I recall). And LTR kept getting pissy that their name was mentioned; would've been easy to scrub and avoid any vandalism.
Some people might want to unlink their activities at RW from whatever their username was, I suppose.
Also, again, this is pretty damn easy. (ofc doesn't mean it's a good idea.)
FuzzyCatPotato of the Alarming Truffles 
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talk/
stalk) 16:49, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
"I previously replaced all instances of the signature Sorte Slyngel (talk) with Uppivindinn (talk). This scrubs most mentions of the username from most pages but still links people to a page from which Uppivindinn's contributions can be accessed." No you didn't & no it doesn't. Your bot changed some pages & missed others; besides which there were plenty of mentions of the username Sorte Slyngel by other editors talking to or about him. Your bot edits make nonsense of these conversations (including coop cases which we may need to refer to again) by creating a dialogue where users appear to be talking to or about a non-existent user while Sorte's own comments appear under a different name.
"A bunch of people who've left have asked for stuff like this (as I recall)." Yeah, and we've always said no, with good reason. It's kindof shitty that you would undermine this by just volunteering to revise a lot of old talk page posts when it wasn't even asked for.
"Also, again, this is pretty damn easy. (ofc doesn't mean it's a good idea.)" No shit Sherlock. It may be pretty damn easy for the minority of editors who run bots, but you're creating a precedent & an expectation which is going to be a massive pain in the ass dealing with every time somebody throws a tantrum. If a user wants to stop editing here, & if they want to make a petulant gesture out of doing so, that's their prerogative but not something we should be using admin tools to facilitate.
₩€₳$€£ΘĪÐ
Methinks it is a Weasel 17:32, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
↑ Wot 'e sed.
Pippa (
talk) 17:41, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
Besides a tone that I find a little uncalled for, these arguments from the Weasel are compelling. I'll be awaiting a rebuttal to them, and if none can be produced, I may change my current vote.
Reverend Black Percy (
talk) 18:17, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
Just as a heads up, if you plan to replace every instance of "Sorte" with "Uppi" or some abbreviated form of Sorte's name, remember to exclude all pages in French. "Sorte" means "type" or "way/manner", e.g.:
C'est une sorte de connerie pseudo-scientifique. = "It's a kind of pseudoscientific bullshit." (Please pardon my French, it's been years.)
ℕoir LeSable (
talk) 18:55, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
"Sorte" is also Danish for black, in case we have any Danish articles lying around. Also, "Sorte Slyngel" is just a foreign-language online alias, so why bother changing any instance of it at all? It's different from that Brazilian antisemite guy, who actually used his real name for his account.
141.134.75.236 (
talk) 19:07, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
Sorte Slyngel, literally
black rapscallion, is the Danish translation for Phantom Blot[
wp], apparently a character from the Mickey Mouse comics. I hadn't heard of the character in English. -
Smerdis of Tlön,
LOAD "*", 8, 1. 21:02, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
Alright, sounds fine. Won't scrub.
Herr FuzzyKatzenPotato 
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talk/
stalk) 20:50, 4 April 2016 (UTC)