Talk:Uninhabited island

message: The first paragraph contains the following sentence:
:This society can either be utopian, based on an ingenious re-creation of society's comforts (such as can be seen in the novel Swiss Family Robinson and, in a humorous form, in the TV series Gilligan's Island) or a regeneration or even regression into savagery (a theme of William Golding's Lord of the Flies and Alex Garland's The Beach).
I'm not sure see the utility of the word "regeneration" in this context. Any objection to my changing the text to read
:This society can either be utopian, based on an ingenious re-creation of society's comforts (such as can be seen in the novel Swiss Family Robinson and, in a humorous form, in the TV series Gilligan's Island) or a regression into savagery (a theme of William Golding's Lord of the Flies and Alex Garland's The Beach).
--CKA3KA (Skazka) 22:52, 6 December 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: No objection here! Lusanaherandraton 00:33, 7 December 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Done. --CKA3KA (Skazka) 18:18, 9 December 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Puzzling turn of phrase in the first paragraph 

message: Isn't it deserted island? Quadzilla99 23:23, 25 January 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: Have a look at this. It looks like "desert island" is more commonly used than "deserted island". That is why the article Deserted island redirects to Desert island in stead of the other way around. - DVdm (talk) 14:53, 29 August 2012 (UTC)
replies: text: I think that, though taken literally the terms would have different meanings, in practice they are used interchangeably, with "desert island" the more common term.  If you look further down this page under "Requested move" you will see that this was previously discussed and most people agreed the article should be at "desert island". In Wikipedia we have to reach a consensus on things like this — not everyone will agree, but civilised discussion is necessary rather than repeatedly making changes that other people disagree with. --Deskford (talk) 15:01, 29 August 2012 (UTC)
thread_title: Deserted Island

message: 'Desert island' is now a re-direct to deserted island. Why is this? Isn't 'desert island' in common usage?
The introduction states:  "A deserted island (also known as a 'desert island') is simply any uninhabited island: the word "desert" in this context is an adjective meaning "desolate and sparsely occupied or unoccupied," and does not imply arid desert climate."  However this contradicts the [a] common popular usage as defined by Collins Cobuild Dictionary (1995):  "A desert island is a small tropical island, where nobody lives." 
The article has a link to Merriam-Webster Online but all this leads to is one definition of the verb desert with no mention of desert island.
I propose we move the article back to 'Desert island' and explain the term broadly in its full context. -- Kleinzach 00:27, 18 October 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: Please see that I have struck out the above and replaced it with a. After further discussions I now understand that there is a genuine difference of opinion about the meaning of 'Desert island' which is reflected in the different dictionaries. It may be a Brit/US English distinction. In any case, the entry should presumably note the differences. -- Kleinzach 23:59, 21 October 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Is this article both pedantic and wrong to equate/redirect ''Desert island'' with/to ''Deserted island''

message: :The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section.  
I propose moving this page to 'Desert island' (which at the moment is a re-direct to this article). 
Reasons are given above (Is this article both pedantic and wrong to equate/redirect Desert island with/to Deserted island ). The present article is inaccurate, needs re-titling and a re-edit. -- Kleinzach 00:46, 18 October 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: Comment: I thought I had listed this formally - it's been noted at Wikipedia:Requested moves - is there something else I should do? -- Kleinzach 01:10, 19 October 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: Nope. My bad. Doops |  talk 14:01, 19 October 2007 (UTC)

text: Take the second left after dinner. ;) Someone another 14:07, 20 October 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: I think you mean diner. Doops |  talk 15:03, 20 October 2007 (UTC)

text: Please remember to fix double redirects when you make page moves! There are quite a few to this page when you check "What links here" on the article page. Dekimasuよ! 04:11, 22 October 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: OK. I hope I have caught them now. -- Kleinzach 06:25, 22 October 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Requested move (2007)

message: Thank you for the unanimity expressed above. I have now made the move and will change 'deserted island' to desert island' where that change is straightforward and uncontroversial.
I have amended  my original comment (Is this article both pedantic and wrong to equate/redirect Desert island with/to Deserted island) above now that I understand the question better. 
I am hoping we can all agree to record the different definitions of a 'desert island' in a suitably NPOV way which satisfies all opinions.  Anyway please see my editing and make comments! Best. -- Kleinzach 00:07, 22 October 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: Please remember to fix double redirects when you make page moves! There are quite a few to this page when you check "What links here" on the article page. Dekimasuよ! 04:11, 22 October 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: OK. I hope I have caught them now. -- Kleinzach 06:25, 22 October 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Move now made to Desert island

message: Would Australia be considered the world's largest desert island? It is an island and it is also mostly desert. I realise that it would not be, according to the figurative use of the phrase, but as an island covered in desert it would be.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 130.246.132.26 (talk) 11:04, 5 December 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: Largest Desert Island

message: It would be interesting to discuss the possibility that islands could still remain "uncharted" in the 2000s, what with satellite mapping, and all, if there are sources that speak to the matter. -- Beland (talk) 04:25, 22 March 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Uncharted islands 

message: I think the title "Desert island" is misleading. It does imply a barren island to most English speakers. "Uninhabited island" is much more clearly understood to mean "an island without inhabitants". Ghostofnemo (talk) 12:33, 6 April 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  Proposal to change name of article to "Uninhabited islands" 

message: Isn't the verb "disinter" replaced with "exhume" nowadays?
I'm not a native English speaker, but if the above is true I'd suggest using "exhumed" instead of "disinterred".  —Preceding unsigned comment added by EMWu (talk • contribs) 01:32, 5 June 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  usage of verb "disinterred" 

message: I am simply commenting on something in the article, something that someone has deleted.  You ignorami do know what those words mean, I am certain of that.  A discussion page is to discuss what is in the article, what has been in the article, what could be in the article.
When did  Uunartoq Qeqertaq  become inhabited?
 hopiakuta   Please  do   sign  your  communiqu%c3%a9 .%7e%7eThank You,   DonFphrnqTaub  Persina. 11:25, 17 July 2012 (UTC)
replies: text: I had removed your comment because A) It's incomprehensible B) you were linking an article that has been deleted so it had no bearing on this conversation C) Back off the name calling.  As for your question, it never was "inhabited".  ViriiK (talk) 11:40, 17 July 2012 (UTC)
thread_title:  When was it uninhabited? 

message: The term "desert island" is not a combination of "desert" + "island", but a single phrase with a particular connotation - compare "fast food". The Oxford English Dictionary defines "desert island" as "a remote tropical island, typically an uninhabited one". The article is about "uninhabited islands" and should be called "Uninhabited island". No one would normally refer to an island such as Gruinard Island as a desert island. 
Try typing  "desert island" scotland into Google and you won't find really any references despite Scotland having hundreds of them. Now compare, "desert island" fiji
Equally type "desert island" into Google images and you'll see that the general use. Macgroover (talk) 10:45, 24 June 2014 (UTC)
thread_title:  This should not be called desert island 

message: The BBC Radio 4 program Desert Island Discs asks well-known people what items they would take with them to a deserted island. The program has inspired many similar articles, contests, and projects, including "desert island books," "desert island movies," and so on.
From the Wikipedia page about Desert Island Discs:
Each week a distinguished guest ("castaway") is asked to choose eight pieces of music, a book and a luxury item that they would take if they were to be cast away on a desert island, whilst discussing their lives and the reasons for their choices.
Thus the bullet point at the top does not accurately describe the programme.
114.185.8.63 (talk) 01:35, 7 August 2014 (UTC)
thread_title:  Desert Island Discs 

message: *I wanted to tell you "VOU", that I have read your work last night, and have much respect for your rhetoric here on wikipedia. So, please don't take my adversarial position here as any disrespect on my part; nothing could be further from the truth. After massive research well into the wee hours of the morning, I have not yet found a definitive desert island reference to agree with you. I see where this subject has been debated since the 50's when Hollywood used the term, and the questions began. Also, I went to that Blackwell reference guide you pointed me to about Robinson Crusoe, and it was an editor like you and I that was using desert island to describe Crusoe's island. However, not in the book itself. I then googled the book references, and all I could find were summaries by other editors about the book. Some using desert, some using deserted. Example: We can also sense Crusoe’s impulse toward self-awareness in the fact that he teaches his parrot to say the words, “Poor Robin Crusoe. . . . Where have you been?” This sort of self-examining thought is natural for anyone alone on a desert island, but it is given a strange intensity when we recall that Crusoe has spent months teaching the bird to say it back to him. Crusoe teaches nature itself to voice his own self-awareness. That comes from: http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/crusoe/themes.html I had a college professor of whom's biggest pet peeve was "desert/deserted"..lol. So I always found myself through life correcting folks when I presumed they used it incorrectly. When I bumped into this article yesterday, I was beside myself, and reading back my rhetoric today, I had to chuckle at my neuroses and my approach to the subject. I still disagree with the validity of the terminology, but must admit that it seems to be used as often now as deserted, even if its origins were used to describe an actual stark sand island in literature, and then was adapted incorrectly to refer to tropical, or deserted islands, only further research will tell. Instead of getting upset about the existence of this article, I should be challenged by it. If I dig up anything interesting to tell you, I will meet you back here. Respectfully, Pocketthis (talk) 16:19, 5 May 2016 (UTC)
thread_title: Deserted vs Desert

message: *Here is something that got me thinking about more reasons this article is named incorrectly: The island called “Más a Tierra” was renamed to Robinson Crusoe Island in 1966 and is no longer uninhabited. The island has a population of about 600 people and contains modern day conveniences such a satellite internet connection and an airstrip. Real uninhabited islands can still be found however and will continue to inspire writers and movie makers. Here is my final point: If there is any island in the world that has a arid desert climate, along with desert vegetation, and if this desert island has any residents at all, then your entire theory goes out the window. Since we all know that there are desert islands with populations on them, the term desert island cannot mean uninhabited, and thus, this article is named incorrectly. Without going to the far reaches of the planet as references, I can give you two obvious ones to use as examples of desert islands that are inhabited: The northwest corner of the big island of Hawaii has an arid temperature, and the vegetation to match. (surprised even me). Also, many of the small arid desert islands off the coast of Baja have population. So, there you have it. Not all desert islands are deserted, but all deserted islands are uninhabited or they wouldn't be called deserted islands. http://www.lovebigisland.com/hawaii-blog/climate-zones-big-island/  I now have proven my point. I know you'll do the right thing. - Pocketthis (talk) 20:57, 5 May 2016 (UTC)
thread_title: Arid Populated Desert Islands

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thread_title:  External links modified 

message: This article could mention how the concept of a desert island has inspired the radio programme Desert Island Discs, especially since Desert Island Discs is in the "See also" section. Vorbee (talk) 08:00, 3 October 2018 (UTC)
thread_title: Desert Island Discs

message: Should we make a separate page that's a list of the largest desert islands by area? I've been expanding the one on this article but a long list might be more fitting on its own page.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by Icantfindanunusedusernamewhyme (talk • contribs) 20:54, 30 December 2021 (UTC)
thread_title:  Largest Uninhabited Islands 

message: "Desert islands have been a profitable refuge for self-imposed castaways since medieval times, who have encountered and overcome deadly obstacles in the practice of survival skills." No citation, no explanation, why is this history? Being profitable is likely a very recent reality TV thing.161.97.25.17 (talk) 16:36, 27 October 2022 (UTC)
thread_title:  What Why History 

message: Hello  That is too long per WP:SDLENGTH. Do you have a shorter suggestion? Invasive Spices (talk) 20:49, 1 July 2023 (UTC)
thread_title:  Short description 

message: :The following is a closed discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. Editors desiring to contest the closing decision should consider a move review after discussing it on the closer's talk page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.
The result of the move request was: Moved. (closed by non-admin page mover) Adumbrativus (talk) 08:27, 27 December 2023 (UTC)
replies: text: Desert island →  – Less ambiguous name * Pppery * it has begun... 18:39, 17 December 2023 (UTC)

text: Support seems like a fairly common naming convention for highly technical or specific subjects. Orchastrattor (talk) 05:24, 19 December 2023 (UTC)

text: Support.  Not “less ambiguous” but “more general”. But, Suggest instead Small islands. The occasional habitation, even if long term, typically due to a staffed station, does not change the defining nature of the topic.  I suggest that the defining nature of these islands is “no fresh water”, which is kind of the intent of “desert” for them, and is regardless of human habitation.  I think that a small island must have vegetation, otherwise it is just a rock (an Islet). SmokeyJoe (talk) 00:40, 26 December 2023 (UTC)
thread_title:  Requested move 17 December 2023