Re: [ox-en] Re: Business opportuities based on Free Software
- From: "Per I. Mathisen" <per fix.no>
- Date: Mon, 29 May 2006 11:25:36 +0000 (GMT)
On Mon, 29 May 2006, Markus wrote:
well, has anyone concretely asked:
active contributors with more than 128 edits in the last four months, do you
accept ads on the site in exchange for 300 million? this money is going to be
used to help poor people and specifically for this and that.
Does not matter what the contributor thinks. The -users- (readers) are not
going to choose a version of wikipedia with ads over a version of
wikipedia without ads. So there is not going to be "300 million", or
whatever imaginary number of money, from ads. I do not think you really
understand the consequences of freedom.
has anyone asked them? no, thats what i have a problem with. not so much
the content of the decision. as i have said before, my main critisim is
that there was no public discussion on such a fundamental issue. whether
the majority of active wikipedies want ads or not is their business. but
they havent been asked! and after all, its them who add the value to the
site.
It is a fundamental issue to you. For the wikipedia project, it is a
fundamental principle not to have ads. Such fundamental principles are
decided when the project is started, not by popular vote. It is also what
separates wikipedia from almost all the wikipedia copies out there. If you
want a free encycloedia with ads using income to support whatever pet
issues you want to support, then you are free to make a wikipedia copy
just like them, and do that.
You see, the beauty of it is exactly this; that when I make an improvement
to wikipedia, I do not just make it for the wikipedia foundation or jimmy
wales or those reading www.wikipedia.org, but -anyone- who want to use it.
If wikipedia turns evil, others can make a copy and make it good again.
That is why I am willing to do edits in return for no money and no
influence.
- Per
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