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Wikimedia: Difference between revisions

290 bytes removed ,  28 April 2004
m
typo, stupid, use the "Show preview" button
(removed some old untrue-corrected pairs. Removing accusations of bomis.com doing something else then a generous contribution of bandwidth AFAIK.)
m (typo, stupid, use the "Show preview" button)
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'''Wikimedia Foundation''' is a private tax-exempt corporation (IRS 501) in the US founded by Jim Wales aka Jimbo.
'''Wikimedia Foundation''' is a private tax-exempt corporation (IRS 501) in the US founded by Jim Wales aka Jimbo. It has an independent board that makes the decisions as required by law.
 
It has no an independent board as required by law


Wikimedia spends most of it's money it receives as donations on providing hardware for [[MediaWiki]] sites such as [[Wikipedia]]s and [[Wiktionary|Wiktionaries]].
Wikimedia spends most of it's money it receives as donations on providing hardware for [[MediaWiki]] sites such as [[Wikipedia]]s and [[Wiktionary|Wiktionaries]].
Some claims have been made that part of the funds it raises is used to support development of the [[mediawiki]] software (which [[Consumerium]] [[R&D wiki]] is running on). According to [[Mediawiki]] developers '''these claims are not true''' and they are receiving no money from '''Wikimedia'''.


Many longstanding participants in the [[Wikipedia]] project have serious problems with the people and processes employed by the '''Foundation'''.  As a volunteer organization, it probably has growing pains, and it's unclear if it will outgrow these. Most of the criticisms have to do with [[wiki management]] problems on which there is little well-understood practice.
Many longstanding participants in the [[Wikipedia]] project have serious problems with the people and processes employed by the '''Foundation'''.  As a volunteer organization, it probably has growing pains, and it's unclear if it will outgrow these. Most of the criticisms have to do with [[wiki management]] problems on which there is little well-understood practice.
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*Refusing to release [[Most Clicked Links]] information on any [[Wikipedia]], even the small ones, where tracking this information would be quite simple, and would assist authors in supporting real end user interests.  
*Refusing to release [[Most Clicked Links]] information on any [[Wikipedia]], even the small ones, where tracking this information would be quite simple, and would assist authors in supporting real end user interests.  
::They are in no way obliged to reveal this information. If you have a problem with this go create a [[fork]] of [[Wikipedia]]. Some have tried it.
::They are in no way obliged to reveal this information. If you have a problem with this go create a [[fork]] of [[Wikipedia]]. Some have tried it.
*Releasing only very limited page visit information - maybe due to the performance cost it adds
*Releasing only very limited page visit information - maybe due to the performance cost it adds
*Treating use of [[ISO]] language codes in [[mediawiki]]'s [[interwiki link standard|interwiki link conventions]] as if they are invocations of Wikipedia in that language, not simply references to "that page in that language".
*Treating use of [[ISO]] language codes in [[mediawiki]]'s [[interwiki link standard|interwiki link conventions]] as if they are invocations of Wikipedia in that language, not simply references to "that page in that language".
::But the interwiki links point to the page in another language
::But the interwiki links point to the page in another language
*Banning, harassing, [[outing|attempting to "out"]] and permitting (if not deliberately attempting) [[framing]] users who point out any of the above.  This sometimes reaches the bizarre extreme of [[echo chamber]] assertions being cited in Wikipedia articles as if they were true.
*Banning, harassing, [[outing|attempting to "out"]] and permitting (if not deliberately attempting) [[framing]] users who point out any of the above.  This sometimes reaches the bizarre extreme of [[echo chamber]] assertions being cited in Wikipedia articles as if they were true.
*Promoting its own [[community point of view]] as if it were actually a [[neutral point of view]], ignoring [[systemic bias]] questions, and letting [[sysop vigilantiism]] and [[sysop vandalism]] occur freely against outsiders.  This sometimes reaches the bizarre extremes of assuming that the '''Wikipedia mailing list''' consensus on legal issues overrules the best legal advice of actual qualified legal experts
*Promoting its own [[community point of view]] as if it were actually a [[neutral point of view]], ignoring [[systemic bias]] questions, and letting [[sysop vigilantiism]] and [[sysop vandalism]] occur freely against outsiders.  This sometimes reaches the bizarre extremes of assuming that the '''Wikipedia mailing list''' consensus on legal issues overrules the best legal advice of actual qualified legal experts


It is a classic [[insider culture]].  It is not a good model for [[Consumerium Governance Organization]] or any other nonprofit entity that is actually trying to serve users and disadvantaged people and other living things.
It is a classic [[insider culture]].  It is not a good model for [[Consumerium Governance Organization]] or any other nonprofit entity that is actually trying to serve users and disadvantaged people and other living things.
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