Kurt Jansson wrote:
Of course not. Wikipedia should take part because software patents could have direct effects on the project. They threaten free software (like MediaWiki) in general, and I wouldn't be surprised if someone claimed to have a patent on "websites which are editable by visitors" (of course formulated much more eloquently).
Well, lots of things could possibly affect us. War, changes to the U.S. tax laws, proposed 'hate speech' laws in the U.S. and Europe, the list is endless.
Taking sides is something that all of us have a moral responsibility to do as individuals, but Wikipedia the encyclopedia is outside politics.
Sorry, but that sounds a bit naive to me.
Maybe, but that's what's so charming about me, isn't it? ;-)
Seriously, though, I think it's naive to think that we can start down a path of using Wikipedia for political purposes and not set some very bad precedent for the future, bad *internal* precedent, leading to huge amounts of internal dissent. As if we don't have enough already.
--Jimbo