Michael R. Irwin wrote:
Ray Saintonge wrote:
snip
My first general observation about this set of
by-laws is that they
should not contain what does not need to be contained. By-laws are
about establishing a structure that allows an organization to function.
Beginning with the first section, what's the purpose of showing the web
address in the by-laws? References to any websites should not be in the
by-laws since these are subject to often daily change. A look at the
edit history of [[Wiki]] will be enough to substantiate that.
The Statement of Purpose needs to be greatly simplified. Many of the
details here can be expected to change over time. Why not simply say
something like:
* The purpose of The Foundation is to promote and institute the
universal free access to all knowledge based on the principles of
mutual respect of editors, neutral point of view and respect for
copyright.
Perhaps "all knowledge" should be amended to "all free
knowledge" or "
the entire knowledge commons of humanity" or something with similar
implications.
"All knowledge" is fine. The fact that certain knowledge is not free
now does not imply that that will always be the case.
Surely we are not intending to publish proprietary
trade secrets or data
classified as national secrets such as the design or performance
specifications of the highly rumored B-3 project?
Before that question can be meaningful someone needs to have access to
the material. Bringing military secrets out into the open would help to
create a level playing field on the road to general disarmament.
Ec