[WikiEN-l] FDL question

[Jimmy Wales]

koyaanisqatsi at nupedia.com wrote:
> 2) would it be better for the project, if they consider adopting the
> FDL, to link to the wikipedia articles rather than forking them? 
> (mostly a rhetorical question, though I'm aware I don't usually think
> of *all* possibilities).

I think it's hard to say.  Our NPOV/encyclopedic approach would make
for a nice reference work of the kind he's contemplating, but at the
same time, POV book reviews are very useful.  I can totally see why
another project might use our work as a 'reference' standard to get
started, and then deviate from NPOV according to their own purposes.

(One of the reasons for NPOV is precisely this: our work can serve as
a useful reference for lots of purposes because it is so neutral.)

> 3) what considerations would you encourage Roos et al. to make before
> committing (or not committing) to the FDL?

I think it's really great if lots of people are using compatible
licenses.  Wikipedia could be the first major project in a huge
movement of free content.  Incompatible licenses would hinder that
process.

Having said that, the GNU FDL is complicated and was clearly not
written with a wild and wide-open wiki environment in mind.  The stuff
about "Cover Pages" and the like are hard to mentally think about in
an online environment.

--Jimbo