[Foundation-l] Our values

Tue Jan 29 22:43:52 UTC 2008

 Allow to take a long, well-thought out email and pick at a single point.

On Jan 29, 2008 2:05 PM, Florence Devouard <anthere at anthere.org> wrote:

> <snip>

Freedom
> We make extra efforts to use only free software on our own servers, and
> to support open and patent-free media formats that are viewable and
> editable with free software.
>
> <snip>
>

If this is how you intend to define "Freedom", then you should relabel it
"Open Source".  The word "freedom" conveys a much grander expression than:
we like free software and open formats.  As a WMF value, a commitment to
open source is certainly an actionable principle and something that I think
we do value, but it is far less expansive than "Freedom" in general.

Thomas Dalton suggests that perhaps "Freedom" should be the first principle,
and I'm inclined to agree with that, but it needs to be freedom in
the broader sense, including: Free content, Free tools for collaboration,
Freedom to fork, Freedom from undue influences, etc.

Personally, I want the WMF to maintain a community free from undue
constraints that will in turn create a body of knowledge which can be
distributed freely throughout the world.  In my opinion, that is the kind of
intellectual freedom at the heart of what WMF ought to be setting out to
accomplish, and which should be at the core of what we value.  I realize
this overlaps with the Mission Statement, etc., but frankly it is so basic
to what we do, that I think it ought to overlap.

-Robert A. Rohde

P.S. Unlike Thomas, I'd keep Community near the top of the list, though
probably not first.