You can delete pages in wiki by replacing all of the existing content with the word "delete". A page needs to be less than fifty characters long for this to work. (This page won't delete even though this paragraph says delete over and over.)
It is intentionally hard to delete pages. There is something poetic about making an empty page the delete request, but that is already detected as an operator error. Also the last set of edits made by a single person can be reversed through Edit Copy. So the page doesn't actually go away until a second person deletes it too. Even after a page is deleted, an old copy can be retrieved from the History Pages.
An empty page is no longer (January 2006) detected as an operator error, apparently, since New Page was recently saved empty.
Additional mechanics:
To begin with, knowing When To Delete Pages isn't easy. When you're not sure, such as in Thread Mode, propose a deletion with a Delete Me tag and let someone else finish it off, rather than unilaterally deleting it yourself. Before deleting, check all Back Links and remove all references to the page you want to delete, but Refer Dont Delete if there are too many links to fix.
Then replace the existing text with 'delete', but if the page has any content, however out of place on the Wiki, Give Reason For Deletion, such as 'delete - Off Topic' or 'delete - moved to SuchAndSuch'. Don't use the word 'see' in this note, however, for that would exclude the page from the Short Wiki Pages list. Also, when you want to delete a non-trivial page, it is good practice to leave the date of the last edit prior to the deletion. The next person can use this to decide whether he wants to confirm the deletion.
Before saving, making sure your User Name is set will ensure you aren't seen as an Anonymous Donor. It will mean the author has someone to talk to, rather than just recreating the page for an Off Topic dialogue. Of course it's up to you whether you want to be anonymous. Now save the page using a standard edit, so your deletion shows up on Recent Changes. Also, someone seconding can use the Minor Edit feature, so it is possible to see who both editors were. If the seconder does a regular edit, the first editor's identity is lost.
If you run across a deleted page you can:
Restore the page by following the Edit Text link to the editor and then the Edit Copy link to the last version. It might be a good idea to explain at the top of the page that it had been deleted and has now been restored. Include the explanation of why the page was deleted and why it is now being restored.
Complete the deletion by saving a variation on delete. This will purge Wiki's backup of the page. It also removes the page from the database and will reduce the page count on title searches. (Other searches will be adjusted overnight.) Edit Copy will no longer work as a means of restoring the page. Only do this if you really agree that the page should have been deleted.
Note: You can't both start and finish a deletion yourself. If you re-edit a page that you've changed your new edits are added to the old edits in the backup copy. Only a second party's edits can cause the backup copy to be purged.
Do nothing. If you don't edit the page at all, it will remain in its deleted-but-easily-restorable condition.
Pages in the deleted-but-restorable state can be found via Short Wiki Pages.
Suppose I replaced this entire page with "delete". Then someone comes by and asks, "Why?". Too late. The Edit Copy has been destroyed. Might as well just turf the page now. Use Mod Wiki will fix this by using not a fixed number (in this case, one) of back up copies, but a time-expired set of back up copies. Cliff has come up with a brilliant solution to this problem. Page Deletion. -- Sunir Shah
Then again, in the garden of the perpetual Wiki Now, the roots of a tree that was burned down in yesterday's fire may tomorrow provide sustenance to fresh seeds or shoots.
This issue was resolved by Ward with History Pages.
See original on c2.com 