koyaanis qatsi wrote:
Wow. This is very nearly the last thing I'd want to happen to wikipedia. In fact, I'd rather see Jimbo decide to close the site altogether.
Don't worry, it won't happen. The last thing I need is to be calling up every crank in the world to see if they are real people.
I think a useful analogy can be made to gun control. Adding barriers to entry will discourage most normal people, but will only discourage some of the cranks, who tend to be highly motivated. So rather than regulations actually helping the problem, they just make it worse.
--Jimbo