In some earlier instances of edit warring, dating back from before the good old days, participants would simply utilize their swords and fight a battle, or later, their guns and fight a duel. A careful and scholarly study of available archeological evidence has even suggested that edit wars may have recurred on a regular basis going back all the way to the beginning of recorded history, even before the advent of proper writing circa 2001 C.E. It isn't comprehensive or authoritative, but it serves as a showcase of situations where people lose sight of the big picture and obsessively expend huge amounts of energy fighting over something that, in the end, isn't really so important.Įdit warring is believed by some to be important, possibly due to the historical regularity and frequency of the occurrence of these wars. Occasionally, even experienced Wikipedians lose their heads and devote every waking moment to edit warring over the most trivial thing, wasting time debating topics of no practical value, or wrestling over questions whose answers hold no practical consequence. Soon a referee will pull them apart and decide their fates at WP:AN3. Two editors at each others' throats, while engaging in an edit war.
