[Wikipedia-l] Openness is a means to an end. Nothing more

Fri Dec 2 10:02:26 UTC 2005

Daniel Mayer wrote:

>The value of freedom is in its use. The fact that Wikipedia is free makes it much more useful. One
>reason I contribute is that I know my contributions will be kept free; again, that is a means to
>an end (getting people like me and you to add content and discourage viable forks by making it
>possible to easily incorporate any changes to the forked version). 
>  
>
Well yes, in a broad sense if there were no possible uses, then it would 
not have much purposes.  But I don't see it as a means to any specific 
end, certainly anything so specific as distributing an encyclopedia to 
everyone in the world---a large body of Free high-quality information is 
the end.  By the nature of Free information, other ends can then follow 
by whoever wants them to follow, without them even having to get 
permission from us.

I think where I seem to be differing at least from Jimbo, and possibly 
from you, is that I don't see us as going for any specific one of the 
possible uses that can be made, but instead as enabling all of them.  In 
fact, I think it would be ideal if the Wikimedia Foundation were *not* 
the one making all those uses---we will have succeeded if we produce a 
high-quality free encyclopedia that enables thousands of third parties 
to distribute, adapt, and use it however they wish, coordinating or not 
with us as they please.

-Mark