[Foundation-l] Priorities

[Birgitte SB]

--- Gregory Maxwell <gmaxwell at gmail.com> wrote:


> There is a simple and natural mechanism to ensure
> that resources are
> appropriately distributed: Do nothing beyond setting
> up the site.   If
> a language needs and can use a Wikipedia it will
> develop.   This
> pretty little theory falls down in some cases:
> places where there
> isn't internet access, places with oppressive
> governments.  Soliving
> those problems is outside of our scope, and better
> accomplished by
> other orgs, such as OLPC. Ever heard of them? ;)
> 

What constitutes setting up a site?  If the font does
not work is the site still set-up?  When en.WP was
set-up the English font worked correctly and system
messages were also immediately available in English.

I agree with some of what you say Greg, but you tend
to throw a large range of issues together and say they
are outside the mission.  All these things are not
equal. I don't think all of the issues Gerard brings
up should be dismissed out of hand.

The real question is what are would we be giving up to
fund some of these things.  If only half of "Program
Services" money has been spent two months before the
end of the fiscal year and Gerard comes forward with a
someone who can fix some of the font issues on a
short-term contract;  why would anyone not want WMF to
fund that?  If however there is choice between that
and another use which would benefit a large number of
wikis people may want WMF to fund the other program. 
I think it valid to say X is more important than the
font problem.  But I don't see what you are promoting
instead of of working on these issues.  Perhaps you
disagree with any money being spent outside the
necessary administration and the technology areas.  I
don't know.  But money has been allocated, so it
*will* be spent on doing something beside the
bare-bones version of "setting up the site".  

Birgitte SB

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