[WikiEN-l] Short-lived retreat

[Rich Holton]

Thomas Dalton wrote:
>> I believe his point is that until Wikipedia proved it could work,
>> allowing everybody to edit was seen as impossible, as way too risky to
>> work.
>>
>> I know you don't like to hear it, but to me, as somebody who started
>> pushing wikis before Wikipedia existed, your arguments against the
>> possibility of broadening adminship sound regrettably like the arguments
>> I used to get (and, amazingly, still get) about how open-to-anybody
>> editing is impossible.
> 
> I understand what you're saying, but I think I've found the flaw in
> your argument. You are saying that Wikipedia has proven all the people
> that said a wiki could never work wrong - I'm not sure that's the
> case.
> 
> Wikipedia has shown that a pure wiki doesn't work (beyond a certain
> size). We've had to introduce blocks and protection, both of which go
> against the idea of a wiki. We've compromised, and as such have
> managed to make a viable website.
> 
> Wikipedia is not a pure wiki, it's the closest we've managed to stay
> to a wiki without causing problems that are beyond our ability to
> manage. We've managed to stay very close, but we have had to step away
> in order to solve a few problems. Adminship is the main way we've done
> that.
> 
> The proposal for opening up adminship is basically a proposal to move
> back to a pure wiki. Wikipedia started off as a pure wiki, and it
> worked ok at first, but as it grew it get unmanageable and required
> the creation of admins.
> 
> There have been multiple requests for evidence that opening up
> adminship won't work - pre-admin Wikipedia is that evidence. It didn't
> work, and that's why admins were created in the first place.
> 

I thought *this* discussion was about whether need was a factor in 
giving people admin status. I've said that the only real issue is trust. 
What I understand you to have said was that even if we trust someone, if 
they don't *need* admin status, we should not give it to them.

Have I misunderstood somewhere?

-Rich