What price? The Charter of Wikimedia states the the
purpose of that organization is to "Create and freely distribute
a free encyclopedia in all the languages of the world" (Article III).
There have been something like $40,000 in donations to date
just in the first seven months of the Foundation's existence.
http://www.sunbiz.org/COR/2003/0620/90039369.tif
Wikipedia will remain free, even if Wikimedia is dissolved or
becomes insolvent. Why? Because all the work distributed on
all the Wikipedias and related projects are released under the
GFDL a license that allows liberal copying.
Anyone can create a "fork" of Wikipedia, or a mirror site
(under their own name as Wikipedia is a trademark). If you
want to start a homework service using Wikipedia info, go
right ahead, but "the price that people pay for Wikipedia"
will always be free, there is nothing however stopping someone
from starting a homework service that using the Wikipedia
database (note the warranty disclaimer notice on each page,
however).
Alex756
From: "Daniel P.B.Smith" <dpbsmith(a)world.std.com>
It used to be true, and may still be, that when you
bought a print copy
of the Britannica and do all the things they want you to do (like
subscribing to their yearbook), the price also entitled you to submit a
limited number of research requests to the Britannica. You were allowed
five a year, or something like that.
Soooooo... by analogy... should the price that people pay for Wikipedia
similarly entitle them to a limited number of research requests?
:-)