On 05/10/05, Han Dao wikipediankiba@gmail.com wrote:
So Wikipedia enter the english dictionary as a common noun o.O
Well, not a common noun as such - that would be if people actually talked about it being "a wikipedia of" (which they do, occasionally, usually when they just mean "wiki"). These are using Wikipedia as a reference point for analogies, in the same way as "the Rolls Royce of", or the more nuanced "the Titanic of"; the comparison is still to the real Wikipedia/Rolls Royce/Titanic, not some generic concept.
Which is lucky, because if it really did become uncontrollably generic "we" couldn't claim it as a trademark any longer, which would suck. Whereas this, as the article implies, is something of a compliment.
-- Rowan Collins BSc [IMSoP]