Quoting Staid S Barr:

Quote:
Maybe I just never noticed this before, but it seems that like BY, parsing does not overwrite existing local data.

Indeed it doesn't. The contribution system recognizes that you've already got the guy in your database, and it then uses that entry, disregarding the different parsing in the update. This change was introduced a few months ago.

Quote:
Is this new behaviour, since otherwise all the heated past discussions would have been rather pointless, and we don't do that, do we?

Unfortunately, they're not pointless at all, but still desperately needed... The problem is not in your local database, it's in the online. You have David/Ogden/Stiers (which, judging from the latest thread on the subject, is the correct way to parse it), but the online version of this profile has David//Ogden Stiers. All well and good, until you want to contribute an entirely different addition or correction to the same cast list. Whenever you try to contribute such a change, the contribution system will include the parsing change, ping-ponging it back to David/Ogden/Stiers, and you're bound to get no-votes: for starters from the user who just entered it as D//O S, an then from others saying things like "no documentation on the parsing change". The only way to prohibit this, is to change the parsing locally, then contribute the change you actually wanted to make, and then fix the parsing right bac. To prevent this horrible ordeal, often for several people within the same profile, determining the "correct" parsing remains important.

All in all: it's lovely that the acceptance system protects your local value, but as long as the contribution system doesn't ignore parsing, it's still the same old problem.

Thanks for explaining.

Quoting northbloke:

Quote:
It would have made a lot more sense if, like BYs, we were given a checkbox asking us if we wanted our parsing to overwrite the online parsing and vice versa. That way everyone can parse how they like without having their ability to contribute restricted.

+10

At least BY is good for something. Parsing is not good for anything.