[Foundation-l] Wikimedia Foundation switching to Google Apps?

[MZMcBride]

Hi.

This morning the Wikimedia Foundation had a meeting about migrating to
Google Apps. Google Apps is a Web-based closed source office suite that
includes Gmail and a few other services.[1]

I had a few questions about this migration.

Has the decision to use Google Apps been finalized? If so, who made the
final decision?

What are the benefits of using Google Apps for the Wikimedia Foundation?

Is there a concern about using closed source software when there are
comparable open source alternatives?

Is there a concern that this will bring Google and the Wikimedia Foundation
closer together? After a $2 million grant, I imagine some people looking in
from the outside have their concerns about a takeover.

Are there concerns about Google's privacy practices? It doesn't seem
particularly wise to hand them all of your e-mail, especially if they
possibly have a business interest.

Any clarifications on this would be great!

MZMcBride

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Apps