[Textbook-l] Introduction - California Open Source Textbook Project

[Toby Bartels]

It's rather disturbing to see the Wikimedia/COSTP collaboration
in danger of being torn apart, before it begins, over ideology.

If Wikimedia produces a free textbook geared towards CA schools,
then let the State of CA print it in a state-run publishing company.
(One already exists, BTW -- the University of California Press.)
Jimbo can't stop them, and if he loves the GNU notion of freedom,
then he won't try.

If Wikimedia produces a free textbook geared towards CA schools,
then let private publishing companies compete to print it.
Sanford can't stop them, and if he loves the GNU notion of freedom,
then he won't try.

To be sure, Jimbo may lobby CA to stay out of the publishing business
(or rather to get out of it -- it already prints quite a few items),
and Sanford may lobby CA to print more material of civic use,
and on this matter they will doubtless be bitter enemies.
But in creating the content to begin with, they can be great friends.

Let us all be friends.  Let us create the textbooks in collaboration,
setting aside the issue of who in the end will mass-print them --
because we can't stop the wrong guy from doing it anyway!

Jimmy Wales wrote:

>Freedom works.

Amen to that!


-- Toby