The Apple Wiki:Ground rules

If you would like something added or removed, post a topic in the 'discussion' page of this article and see if others feel the same way. If there is a general vibe that the posted rule does not belong, then it may be removed.

A note on tutorials
If you have an original tutorial that you believe is useful to the community, by all means, post it :)

The tutorial rule below is just to prevent people from posting a single page with a link to a video tutorial on youtube

Things to think of before making a page

 * Is this really needed?
 * Is this explicitly stated anywhere else in the wiki? If so, should it be restated?
 * Do I know enough on the subject and have beyond a reasonable doubt that the information I am about to post is true and accurate?
 * Does this really belong here? Or does it belong in a place like iClarified (A website for iPhone tutorials for beginners)?

Basic Ground Rules
These are some basic rules to abide by when adding a page or making an edit

No posting of copyrighted material
Anything that could legally get us in trouble should not be posted, ever. This means you should never directly link to:
 * Secpacks
 * Decrypted ramdisks or root filesystem DMGs
 * Applications copyrighted by Apple (AppStore.app, lockdownd, MobileInstallation.framework, etc.)
 * Patched Applications/Frameworks copyrighted by Apple, even though the above is the same thing, some people don't realize it
 * Basebands
 * Bootloaders
 * IPSW files that are not hosted by Apple
 * IPSW files that were sold for a price by Apple
 * IPA files that are not hosted by Apple
 * Jailbreak tools that aren't the original links (unless the original links are dead)

That being said, the following things that can be linked to without recourse:
 * IPSW files hosted on Apple's website
 * IPA files hosted on Apple's website (Don't abuse this, only for special circumstances)
 * .plist files from an iOS device (they can't be copyrighted exactly, while code can :P)

No n00b Tutorials
This is not the right place for them. Maybe someone can make a page specifically for beginners. That would work. Or maybe just link to the tutorial on the appropriate page. For example, someone had created a page exactly for "Jailbreaking and Activating the iPhone 3G with WinPwn". Then, the page only contained a link to a YouTube video. It would be better for something like this to be put at the bottom of the WinPwn page, no? If there is no place for it, feel free to just add in a "Links" section. Nobody is going to bust your nut for that.

This is not a helpdesk
If you messed up your iPhone, please do not post on a random wiki page asking for help. Instead, chances are you used a tool from a reputable hacker/team (e.g. iPhone Dev Team, Chronic Dev Team), so ask at r/jailbreak or on IRC in ##jailbreak on chat.freenode.net. But please know, this is not the right place to ask for help.

That being said, you may want to browse the various articles, as they may answer your question.

No copied and pasted content
If you create a new article and it is nothing but content that was copied and pasted from another website, do not even bother. On the other hand, if you make an honest effort to reword it and you honestly do think that it belongs on this wiki and a link would not be as good, then it is OK. A great example of this is the BootNeuter page. It started off being copied and pasted, but it was at least formatted correctly and tweaked minorly. Then other members changed it around and now it is almost completely reworded.

No drama
Save it for someone else. Everyone is welcome here. If Zibri wants to come in here and post an article, as long as it abides by the rules, then nobody will stop him. Same goes for if someone like aCujo wants to contribute. As long as the rules are followed, all is well. An extension to this rule is that nobody is allowed to directly insult anybody else. The Zibri and ZiPhone pages, well, what they used to be, is normally not that bad, but I guess they were removed because of all of the controversy.

No advertising your website/forum/wiki/etc.
Don't create a page just to advertise your new website please. Same goes for editing a link to a tutorial that was on your website into a page. It is probably already on that page, or at a place like iClarified. However, this rule is geared towards a generic iPhone website or blog that a random person made. If there is a perfectly original tutorial or something like that, that has not been posted anywhere else before, and is useful to people, then by all means, you can link to it.

Do not perform edits for format changes in excess amounts
From time to time, the format of pages on The iPhone Wiki may require changes. For example, we determined it was necessary to name device pages by their internal identifier (e.g. N72AP), and use the model identifier in firmware key pages (e.g. Sugar Bowl 5F138 (iPod2,1)). However, making format changes like this causes the Recent changes to be filled up, as numerous pages must be edited or renamed to follow the new format. By filling the Recent changes feed with insignificant changes, everyone's ability to discover new information and track down any malicious edits is unnecessarily hindered.

Therefore, for every hour (resetting at :00), you may only make up to 50 such edits consisting of format changes. In addition, you may make no more than 150 edits consisting of format changes per day (resetting at midnight UTC). Any unused number of edits pertaining to format changes will not "roll over" to the next hour or day. Any such edits should not be "clumped" together. (e.g.- Do not make 45 edits for format changes at 01:58, and then another 45 at 02:01.) Temporary exemptions can be made at the discretion of administrators and/or the community. Enforcement of this rule is otherwise subject to the administrators' discretion.

Regarding the creation of pages for programs
We all have to start somewhere, but try to keep the community's needs in mind before making a page here. Do not announce "coming soon" software; we don't want vaporware on this wiki. If you are involved with the program's creation, you should not create the page yourself. (Credible hackers are exempt from this.) Feel free to include a screenshot, but don't take a screenshot of every single screen to illustrate how the program works. Do not create multiple redirects to your page with various misspellings of the program name. Add the page to the appropriate category. If it has a GUI, put it in the "GUI Tools" category. Otherwise, add it to the category "Software." Do NOT add the category "Hacking Software." If the tool is not free, ask on the discussion page first if the community wants to have it included. Otherwise it will be considered spam and you face the risk of getting banned. If there is already a program on the wiki that performs the tasks your program does, there should something to distinguish yours. Otherwise, there's no need for it to be here.

When in doubt, feel free to drop a note about the program in the Community portal and the community will decide if it belongs on the wiki or not.

No edit wars
An "edit war" may occur when two (or more) users continue making edits to undo or add back a user contribution. It is considered drama, and should be avoided as such. They may also interfere with a user's ability to find updated information. If you have a disagreement with someone, use the talk pages.

Do not create 'skeleton' key pages
Please do not create key pages that have no keys/IVs on them. This includes just creating a key page that is full of KBAGs. Doing so makes it more difficult for the community to identify device/firmware combinations without keys. A page should only be made if it contains at least one key or IV, unless all files are unencrypted, which then would need to be listed in the correct format.

Supply proof/evidence for internal subjects
Internal software and prototypes are rare to come across, and we welcome documentation about them. However, to maintain informational integrity, we do require evidence to be supplied with any substantial information that you have. For example, if you have a list of applications in an internal firmware, there should be an image or video showing them on the device. Any added information about internal subjects that does not comply with this is subject to removal, with account suspensions possible.

User Pages Warning
Although it's not that terrible of a sin, please keep in mind that user pages are not social network profiles. A few details about to that you choose to put up is fine, but don't overdo it. :)