User:Fakescientist8000/Great Userbox War of 2022

Plural of 'Userbox'[edit]

Hey folks. I didn't know where to put this, so I decided that the village pump would be the best idea. I have seen some userpages referring to the plural of userbox as 'Userboxes'. However, I have also seen some userpages referring to the plural as 'Userboxen'. Which one is correct? Are both correct? Cheers! Fake scientist 8000 13:56, 16 May 2022 (UTC)

The official plural is "userboxes", modelled on "boxes". "Userboxen" is a whimsical analogy to irregular plurals such as "oxen"; it's technically wrong but widely accepted and can raise a smile. Certes (talk) 14:06, 16 May 2022 (UTC)

For a singular userbox used by more than one person (as most are), I assume it is thus usersbox? Nosebagbear (talk) 14:33, 16 May 2022 (UTC)

Userboxen is correct because a Germanic suffix is cool: Wikipedia_talk:WikiProject_Userboxes/Archive_2006#A_plea_for_the_Germanic_plural. Some people are just not cool. -- zzuuzz ^(talk) 14:35, 16 May 2022 (UTC)

we're not German, so shouldn't be using German pluralisation. "Userboxes" is correct English. Joseph2302 (talk) 14:45, 16 May 2022 (UTC)

But the English language is a West Germanic language. The roots of English are Germanic. There is a heavy French/Romance influence due to the Norman Conquest, but there is still that Germanic root. So, whenever we do anything linguistically weird for Germanic languages, blame the French. Whenever we do anything linguistically weird for Romance languages, blame the Germanic influence. ~ ONUnicorn^{(Talk|Contribs)}problem solving 16:14, 16 May 2022 (UTC)

And it it's weird for both, you can probably blame Greek. --User:Khajidha (talk) (contributions) 13:30, 18 May 2022 (UTC)

Userboxen is correct because it is whimsical and it upsets people who can't take a joke, which is a noble enough cause to override all other concerns. --Jayron 32 13:51, 19 May 2022 (UTC)

Thanks Jayron32, you caused me a very big smile.
Steue (talk) 11:51, 8 June 2022 (UTC)

“Boxen” is not German… it appears in several English dictionaries as a non-standard (archaic) variant for “box”… which has been revived and adopted by computer programmers (I suppose you could call it computer jargon). I would say that (in this context) BOTH are correct. Blueboar (talk) 15:17, 16 May 2022 (UTC)
If, as seems to me but I'm open to being proved [proven?] wrong, the singular "Userbox" was made up for use by Mediawiki, then that project can also make up the plural. Here on the English Wikipedia I have seen both the standard "Userboxes" and the non-standard "Userboxen" used extensively, so it seems that both are probably correct. But, whatever is decided here, and my preference would be for nothing to be decided, let's accept that this project uses English, not German. Phil Bridger (talk) 15:30, 16 May 2022 (UTC)
Again, it’s not German… it’s “programming jargon”. I found this out with a simple google search for “boxen”. Now, if you want to argue that we shouldn’t use programming jargon… fine. I just think we should be accurate in our arguments. Blueboar (talk) 16:02, 16 May 2022 (UTC)
I know it's not German. That's why I said "both are probably correct" and "my preference would be for nothing to be decided". Phil Bridger (talk) 16:53, 16 May 2022 (UTC)
You should use the proper collective noun, in this case "a nuisance of userboxes", just like cats. — xaosflux ^Talk 15:43, 16 May 2022 (UTC)
dab: in the early days of email, "user box" was sometimes used to distinguish personal mailboxes from others, such as the "system [mail]box" etc. The term is still used in printer interfaces of multiuser printers with built-in physical or virtual storage. The "user box" is space for individual users to store print jobs and other documents. This printer user box may also be associated with an email user box. Because complexity is the geeks' favorite hallucinogenic. Afaik the plural in these non-Wikipedia cases was always "boxes". It is also possible this section will attract comments in inverse proportion to the topic's importance. Guilty as charged. 50.75.226.250 (talk) 16:02, 16 May 2022 (UTC)
I've always used userboxen, regardless, it's not particularly an important matter. Legislating that one is more correct than the other is a waste of everyone's time. casualdejekyll 16:19, 16 May 2022 (UTC)
Hang on, have we decided how to spell WP:LEAD or WP:LEDE yet? Johnuniq (talk) 03:49, 17 May 2022 (UTC)
- I’m holding out for “LEED”. Blueboar (talk) 11:31, 17 May 2022 (UTC)
I prefer Ǚzerbǿxen, but am willing to concede that it might be like deer, and the plural of Userbox is Userbox. On the other hand, perhaps it is like goose, and the plural is Userbeex. BD2412 T 04:29, 17 May 2022 (UTC)
Geese have beex; userboxes don't. Surely it's Userböx. Certes (talk) 09:23, 17 May 2022 (UTC)
I think there's clearly a lack of guidance in this area and we should have an RfC on creating a guideline on this. Galobtter (pingó mió) 07:21, 17 May 2022 (UTC)
Shouldn't we first have an RFC on whether to have an RFC? Phil Bridger (talk) 08:19, 17 May 2022 (UTC)
Several, I would think… And let’s not forget to have a side-debate on whether the RFCs are neutrally worded or not… and some accusations of canvassing and forum shopping. We have traditions to uphold after all. Blueboar (talk) 11:50, 17 May 2022 (UTC)

That process doesn't have significant support currently, you can follow up by following the proper Wikipedia:Requests for process to get it going. — xaosflux ^Talk 13:03, 17 May 2022 (UTC)

And thus began the Great Userboxen War of 2022. WaltCip-(talk) 15:50, 17 May 2022 (UTC)
No. It's the Great Userboxes War. Phil Bridger (talk) 16:22, 17 May 2022 (UTC)
Pardon me while I go run off to file an WP:RFARB.^[FBDB] WaltCip-(talk) 17:48, 17 May 2022 (UTC)

Userboxen, by analogy with Vaxen. -- RoySmith (talk) 16:19, 17 May 2022 (UTC)

Actually, upon further consideration, I've come to the conclusion that this is all wrong. Userbox is plural. The singular being userbok. -- RoySmith (talk) 16:37, 17 May 2022 (UTC)

You've got to cite your sources, Roy. Kids these days probably don't know what a VAX was: "[very common; by analogy with VAXen] Fanciful plural of box often encountered in the phrase ‘Unix boxen’, used to describe commodity Unix hardware. The connotation is that any two Unix boxen are interchangeable." WhatamIdoing (talk) 02:37, 20 May 2022 (UTC)

These days, spelled "Docker" :-) -- RoySmith (talk) 22:43, 20 May 2022 (UTC)

"Eyesore". —Cryptic 15:37, 19 May 2022 (UTC)
Userboges. Or is this way of forming the plural reserved for words ending in -nx? —Kusma (talk) 15:48, 19 May 2022 (UTC)
"Userboxes". Period. In an encyclopedia we should use the gramatically correct variant, not some random slang. — SummerKrut 21:00, 20 May 2022 (UTC)
But is there a "correct" variant? Is "userbox" a word? If so who made it up? Shouldn't the same people be able to make up the plural(s)? Phil Bridger (talk) 21:34, 20 May 2022 (UTC)
We clearly need a suite of small, colourful rectangles to help editors express their views on this contentious issue. Certes (talk) 21:36, 20 May 2022 (UTC)
I LOVE how this "discussion" turned out. Speaking of opinions... how many of you will be fine with me making a template for this? Like "This user thinks that the plural of userbox is {{{1}}}" or something. ARandomPage, the named space (Update them!) (Stuff they do) 14:27, 28 May 2022 (UTC)
@ARandomPage I'd love that, personally. Would you mind linking to here in it? Thanks, and Cheers! Fake scientist 8000 21:27, 28 May 2022 (UTC)
Well... I don't know what image to use. Any ideas? ARandomPage, the named space (Update them!) (Stuff they do) 02:44, 29 May 2022 (UTC)
@ARandomPage
This user thinks that the plural of userbox is userboxen!

This user thinks the plural of userbox is userboxes!

Those are some ideas for userboxen/s/g/:o. Cheers! Fake scientist 8000 13:13, 31 May 2022 (UTC)
I was going to suggest that, if you haven't got anything better to do , you might want to create a userbox with the text, "This user doesn't give a fuck what the plural of userbox is". But then it occurred to me that the editors that could use it don't display those things on their user page anyway. Phil Bridger (talk) 18:12, 31 May 2022 (UTC)
@Phil Bridger:: Would there not be a group of userbox-using Wikipedians who truly don't give a flip about the plural of userbox? Given the size of this place, it is a certainty, so I've made this. @Fakescientist8000:: Thanks for the examples. Since I'm too lazy to modify them, I've copied them into a template. ARandomPage, the named space (Update them!) (Stuff they do) 10:16, 1 June 2022 (UTC)
I suppose you are right. There is no limit to human ~~silliness~~ ingenuity. Phil Bridger (talk) 17:40, 2 June 2022 (UTC)

Since this topic seems to have more legs than a centipede, a portal may be apt. 64.18.11.68 (talk) 17:31, 2 June 2022 (UTC)

box: translated into German: Kiste
boxes: Kisten.

The plural "boxen" is not mentioned in the "World Book Dictionary" (edition of 1979) from Thorndike-Barnhart. And this comprises two large size volumes.

To: Phil Bridger: According to above mentioned dictionary, both are correct; and mentioned (in this dict.) in exactly this sequence, which, I suppose, shall give a hint to preference.

Thanks to most of you, now I've found where to get my daily dose of big smiles from.

Just out of curiosity of how it is done, I tried this one:

This user doesn't give a fuck what the plural of userbox is.

Steue (talk) 12:47, 8 June 2022 (UTC)

as long as we are exchanging userboxes, I thought I might offer this one. you're welcome.

This user understands nothing to be absolute in the realm of quantum fluctuations.

--Sm8900 (talk) 18:55, 9 June 2022 (UTC)

The correct plural is Userboxii. MarioGom (talk) 07:44, 10 June 2022 (UTC)