Jack Lutz a écrit:
wiki pedista wrote:
Talking about the Spanish fork, Larrys letter announcing he was no longer an employee was the spark for it, but that is another long story.
Can you elaborate on that? There is not much information that I see, in English, about the Spanish fork.
Recently, to help with the Wikipedia Retro topic on meta, I asked Astronomer to give us his view on what happened during the spanish fork.
He declined, saying it was still too early, which I understand quite well. I hope Astronomer will long stay with us, and one day the topic is not quite painful to discuss.
I have fragmental memories of this event... I only know that it is this event, followed by the little heat up triggered one or two months later by the french wikipedia adopting a different logo from the rest of the project (a white and green dove), which led me to somehow decide to get involved so that wikipedia becomes an international project... which it was NOT in spring 2002.
I am very thankful of Astronomo of his report on year 2001...
I tend to consider Larry as a co-foundator of the project myself, but not being there in 2001, it is just a personal assumption from what I heard and read; I think he was essential for the project to start, just as Jimbo was essential as well. Coining a name or a concept does not only define what a foundator is. And for what the project is today, just for existing, for helping a lot setting up the base of what Wikipedia is today. I would like to thank you Larry and hope he stops having so many hard feelings.
Now, I must say... I think a project of such a type can only work *without* a strong authority. It is important to let people built their own organisation. Jimbo has this very powerful strength, in this that he lets most of the organisation be a self-organisation. For those who know a bit about leadership, it is a rather rare occurence. For the sake of wikipedia, and to let all the international projects grow up (without a strong hand to lead them), it was important that the role of the editor in chief disappear.
ant