What is it?
The Registry Dictionary will become (I hope) a nearly complete reference for the purpose and function of each and every key and value in the Windows Registry. You will be able to get a description on the function of any key or value simply by finding the respective entry in the Dictionary.
So how is it going to become near to complete? I'm sure many of you are thinking that it's bluddy huge, for a start, not to mention that it's unregulated and anyone can do what they want with it. The Registry Dictionary is an open database. By open, I mean that anyone can contribute to it (with limits). You don't need to pay, you don't need a degree in computer science, and you don't need to be a Micro$oft employee. All you need is a browser with cookie support, and an e-mail address.
With this system, there is no limit to how many people can be concurrently working on the Dictionary, adding entries and making it more complete. All we need is people who are willing to do so! Which brings me to the next point:
How do I contribute?
You need a cookie-capable browser and an e-mail address, and you need to register. All you are asked for is your name, your e-mail address and a username to identify yourself with. Once you have registered, you should get an e-mail message with a new password for your new account. Then all you have to do is log in, and you're away.
The e-mail address is required, but is never given to anyone without your permission. It's a rudimentary form of security that I have installed to prevent just anyone from barging in and wrecking everything.
After you have first registered, you have a few limits as to what you can do. You can't touch anyone else's entries, and you can't write in raw HTML. To be able to do either, you need to have your rank upgraded. Currently the only way to do this is to mail me and ask. At the moment all you need to earn a rank upgrade is a few entries in the Dictionary that demonstrate your willingness to contribute constructively towards it.
There are two ways to add entries. Anyone can add, modify or remove entries from the member menu. AND, if you have a javascript capable browser, then when you log in and then start browsing the Dictionary's entries, you'll see "Add", "Edit" and "Remove" buttons in the pages. These buttons can be used to quickly add and edit entries from within the Dictionary.
If you really want to contribute, please take a quick look at the Guidelines for Writing Entries before you do.
Why are there empty key entries in some parts of the Dictionary?
I can't delete empty keys from the dictionary immediately because when a member removes an entry they get taken back to the page where the entry is listed. If that page were to be deleted they would get taken back to a "page not found error" and that would be yucky. So instead, I periodically run a program which clears up empty entries.
What mechanisms are installed to prevent people from destroying or defacing this thing?