Talk:Xenu's Link Sleuth

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This article was nominated for deletion on January 28, 2005. The result of the discussion was No consensus, default to "keep"..

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XenuGraph[edit]

I notice that the link to XenuGraph (from Kevin Niehage) is still there as external link, but the mention was deleted in the main article. Anyway, the current version of Xenu integrated the export to GraphViz by using the source code made by Kevin Niehage as inspiration (He is credited).

Another interesting export since version 1.3 is to Google Sitemaps. --Tilman (talk) 16:15, 20 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Report[edit]

Source discusses the article subject and devotes multiple pages to it. Cirt (talk) 00:23, 18 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

This isn't your bachelor report, is it? I really don't see how it's notable or worth including here. No, the report doesn't devote multiple pages to the discussion or review of this particular link checker tool. I'm not trying to claim that this tool isn't notable, I'm just saying that this particular bachelor report (and the Grand Valley State University one with practically all the archived links broken) don't support the article at all. This link checker just happened to be the tool that was used in the report, but it's only mentioned in passing. The entire quote is this: "Link checking was performed with the freeware link testing software, Xenu’s Link Sleuth." So what? If I write a web page and mention that I've used "Xenu's Link Sleuth" to check my website, does that mean I get to add a link to my website from wikipedia too? It just smells like a vanity link when it doesn't add any value to the page. Book reviews, yes. Magazine reviews, yes. They discuss the tool and its merits. But student reports that barely mention the tool in passing? And reports from 2003 with broken links? No, they don't belong in this page, in my opinion. Thrapper (talk) 12:50, 18 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

If you actually check the source, you will see several pages are devoted to it. Cirt (talk) 12:52, 18 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I have "actually" checked the source, and the entire quote is above. I assume you're referring to two appendices which give the output of the link checker for the project. That isn't "devoted" to the tool, it's "devoted" to the checking of the links. I don't expect the wiki page for the word processing tool he used to link to this report either, because several pages of that report aren't "devoted" to the tool, despite being output by it.

So is it your bachelor report? And if any person's homepage includes the output from Xenu's Link Sleuth in an appendix, does it also get a link here? Thrapper (talk) 16:36, 19 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

All that is said in this article is that a BSc honors study used the report. That is factually accurate and confirmed by the source, and relevant. Cirt (talk) 21:54, 19 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I agree, it is factually accurate, and yes the source confirms that it is true. However it doesn't matter to this article whether that person used this program or not. It is not relevant to wikipedia whether one guy wrote a report at school once and mentioned this program in passing. You did read the entire quote above, didn't you? 13 words long? That doesn't justify a link from this wikipedia page to his report. Reviews belong here, or quotes of usage by notable sources, but not that report. You didn't respond to either of my questions above though....? Thrapper (talk) 13:24, 20 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Third opinion[edit]

I checked the BSc thesis that is in question, and its use of Xenu's Link Checker seems to be minor and unremarkable. Like Thrapper, all I could find in the main text of the thesis about this tool is the following: "Link checking was performed with the freeware link testing software, Xenu’s Link Sleuth. The initial report generated for the visitor pages found only one missing link to a filler GIF that had been incorrectly referenced (see APPENDIX G)." Then further on, in Appendix G, we see a report showing the six broken links. This usage of Xenu's Link Checker can hardly be seen as a review or a commentary on the tool itself. I am puzzled that Cirt found multiple pages in the thesis devoted to this tool, since this is all I came up with by doing a 'Find' on Xenu. EdJohnston (talk) 17:40, 24 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Update: Removed, per EdJohnston (talk · contribs). Cheers, Cirt (talk) 17:42, 24 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks both. Sorry if my tone became argumentative :) Thrapper (talk) 22:17, 24 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Much appreciated, thanks. Cirt (talk) 22:19, 24 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Reducing the usefulness of this article[edit]

Speaking as someone who uses Xenu I can`t agree with the recent deletion of some of the external links. The definitely reduce the usefulness of the article. I think we`re forgetting why we`re here. It`s not to conform to a set of esoteric Wikipedia rules. it`s to provide information and interest. I can`t be bothered to revert the deletions, I just don`t agree with it. Get your priorities right !--JustinSmith (talk) 13:31, 28 April 2015 (UTC)[reply]

External links modified[edit]

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Assessment comment[edit]

The comment(s) below were originally left at Talk:Xenu's Link Sleuth/Comments, and are posted here for posterity. Following several discussions in past years, these subpages are now deprecated. The comments may be irrelevant or outdated; if so, please feel free to remove this section.

*9 citations, nice image screenshot... Smee 07:22, 7 March 2007 (UTC).[reply]

Last edited at 18:00, 7 March 2007 (UTC). Substituted at 02:18, 27 September 2016 (UTC)