User:SOTO/Forum Archive/The Panopticon/@comment-7302713-20130519181606/@comment-188432-20130520070436

A mouseover is not "looking deeper". It's simply using the basic functionality of HTML. If this were a print encyclopaedia, I wouldn't even be suggesting this method. And again, this is 2013. It will occur to most people to mouseover these days. We understand a whole lot better how the HTML 1.0 works, now that we're on HTML 5.0. People who frequent wikis really do get the whole pipe tricking "thing". They understand that the power of a wiki is that you can substitute words in a link, because Wikipedia's been comfortably doing it for over a decade now.

And we do have solid reasons to do it. By and large, companions are known by one name. If I say "Sarah" or "Susan" or "Jo" — sure there are other people in the DWU with those names. But it is so commonplace to refer to companions by their first name that I'm sure those names brought up a singular connotation to you.

Additionally it's better for alphabetisation if we use a common standard. Where does "Adric" go in a list that otherwise is organised last name? What about Nyssa or Leela or Romana?

Going "one name, but most common single name" is a rule that works better than traditional "last name, first name", because there are so many companions that don't allow us first and last names. Adric shouldn't come before Harry Sullivan; Adric should come before Harry, though. Also, practically no one knows "Vicki Pallister" or "Polly Wright", but they do know Vicki and Polly.