I don't think it helps to characterise any simple questioning of the leader as a "deranged vendetta". Are you suggesting all criticism is a mark of either hatred or insanity - or both? That line of defending leaders against criticism has a somewhat unsavoury history.
What happened here is that someone noted that the archives that have emerged didn't record Jimmy's "hello world" as the fist edit. That type of attention to detail is hardly surprising when Wikipedians are so keen to document their own history, and culturally sensitive to looking for verification of any claims.
Now, it is quite possible that the archives omit "hello world" because they are incomplete. It is also possible (as I suggested) that the story may be more pictorial than literal: Jimmy began the thing: once Wikipedia was not, then Jimmy said hello to the world. To that degree it is a useful myth whose literal accuracy (or our ability to verify such) may be thought irrelevant.
It is, of course, quite proper to say "it doesn't matter". However, in that case it neither matters to denounce Jimmy (even if he were misremembering) nor to defend him (even if he were literally correct about his edits).
Those who don't care, don't want to know. Anyone who does care, probably will never know anyway.
Scott
Oh, I use 'myth' in the technical sense - not in the untruth sense - but therein lies another whole debate.
-----Original Message----- From: wikien-l-bounces@lists.wikimedia.org [mailto:wikien-l-bounces@lists.wikimedia.org] On Behalf Of Tony Sidaway Sent: 16 January 2011 23:27 To: English Wikipedia Subject: Re: [WikiEN-l] Hello world! (was "Hello world?")
Does every thread referring to Jimmy Wales really have to become a venue for some deranged vendetta? How does this help us to write an encyclopedia?
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