Having a namespace table –even if just derived from LocalSettings.php– could be handy in ad-hoc SQL queries; it seems a step in the right direction.

The fact that users are joining is not convincing: how many are put off? I joined after finding and reading https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User_talk:Erik_Moeller_%28WMF%29#Phabricator_login_sequence — but did not know what Phabricator actually was, and I’m still not sure what it wants me to allow it to do. I decided the evidence was that it it was safe (partly because it is within wikimedia.org), and there was a discussion I thought I might contribute to. That I saw the confirmation link was (truly) from wikimedia reassured me sufficiently to click it.