Re: [Bug-gnupedia] Nupedia

[Tom Chance]

> I would also agree that it would be tragic if there
> were a split along 
> philosophical grounds, but that does seem to be the
> case.  I think Nupedia is 
> probabally going to get a few more editors and
> writers out of this whole 
> debate anyway, but the real question is "How could
> these efforts be pulled 
> together?"  What would be acceptable to people of
> both groups?

I have looked at the site, and judging by the opinions
posted on this list, I would have to say I agree with
you analysis, in that Nupedia seems to be less "open"
and far more centralised than we would all want
Gnupedia to be.  
> 
> I can understand how participants of Nupedia would
> be annoyed, and even angry 
> at Richard Stallman for announcing this project (the
> GNUpedia).  Furthermore, 
> the people on this mailing list would be considered
> a brash upstart, and why 
> should they (people with Nupedia) be forced to
> change anything to accomodate 
> the efforts here?

I very much doubt we (of the gnupedia mailing list)
would have much input on the Nupedia project now its
aims etc. seem set up. We would probably seem like
brash upstarts, as you say. Though I can see how the
Nupedia bunch must be a but pissed off. But still I
don't see any reason why we can't go on as we are, as
2 projects (but sharing articles perhaps) with
different approaches. Ours more open, with no editors
and limited moderators (of whatever nature we end up
deciding upon).

> Three big concerns that I have regardnig Nupedia:
> 
> What are they using for source code to actually run
> the web site and use as a 
> database to organize the information?

This is twice this has been raised - their site offers
no source code for the web site, or how their indexing
works. Gnupedia should be "open" in every possible
sense, IMO.

 I DARE you to throw a GIF
> into Nupedia without Unisys 
> essentially taking complete ownership of the
> project.  GIMP gets away with 
> this by having the libraries available in a country
> that doesn't respect the 
> LZW patent, with development going on in those
> countries as well.

We could run into problems here and I would suggest
all pictures should be submitted as gifs/jpegs and
then converted somehow into pngs - maybe perl, maybe
painstaking graphics programs?

Tom Chance

=====
"True security is to be found in social solidarity rather than in isolated 
individual effort - Fyodor Dostoyevsky"

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Get email at your own domain with Yahoo! Mail. 
http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/