Brian McNeil wrote:
I'd like to see the Foundation have a "security blanket" too. Although, the way I see this is you're more likely to get support from developing countries before you get it from the developed - in terms of a government actually giving money.
That's an interesting theory.
I'm curious about what impact a project like Wikipedia has on a country's economy. The database of information at your fingertips has to save a fortune in research costs for companies all over the world, and from my perspective I'd be delighted to see a portion of my taxes - no strings attached - going to the Foundation.
I think that most of the national economic effects will be infrastructural, and not easily visible. Education is a part of a nation's infrastructure. Investments in this sort of thing does not produce an immediate bang for the buck, and that holds back some companies from investing.
People in the developing world need practical information, and they can share it via wiki. Simple things like the cheapest way to dig a reliable well, or how to efficiently irrigate a crop are the things that interest them. Ways to incrementally improve their standard of living because they learn something new.
We've had editors who believe that how-to articles are too POV to include in the 'pedia. :-)
I expect in 5 or so years Uruguay's economy will start to see the payoff from investing in OLPC, and a significant percentage of the students who've got the machines will rely on Wikipedia as well as contribute to it.
It will take much longer than that, and the effect will be gradual.
Ec