Fred Bauder wrote:
Why would we want to merge? It seems like an excellent project with its own merits which might provide both opportunities and information to us over time.
Duplicated effort. Reinvention of the wheel.
These things REALLY bug an ENFP. (apparently ;-)
I guess I don't know what an ENPF is.
Anyway, it has been my experience that alternative ways of doing things generally work out real good for everyone.
I know when I want to buy something or look something up trying several sources works better than going to just one place.
If Sam Walton had not "reinvented the wheel" we'd still be paying $4 for a tube of toothpaste. (At least here where I live).
To get back to the original issue. Open-site seems to be a much more controlled environment than wikipedia, kind of like Nupedia or the sort of thing that Larry is always advocating. It will work out different (actually I think it will fail dismally, but that is a different matter). If they wanted a more free-wheeling situation they could have choosen that but they didn't. If we merge then I suppose we could tighten up our operation or they could loosen theirs, but then both choices are lost and we just have an "elephant" (the animal built by a committee).
We are actally very early in the evolution of on-line reference. There is no reason not to try different things out and see how they work.
Fred