On 10/21/07, Anthony wikimail@inbox.org wrote:
On 10/21/07, Oldak Quill oldakquill@gmail.com wrote:
On 21/10/2007, Anthony wikimail@inbox.org wrote:
On 10/21/07, Oldak Quill oldakquill@gmail.com wrote:
Such a book could only help Wikipedia.
If it were free content it'd help Wikipedia even more, though.
On those counts, I agree with you - it would be far better if it were free content (and perhaps Wikimedia could start such a project?). But while proprietory knowledge exists and is so prevalent, I think an extra book (whether proprietory or, preferably, free) helps.
I don't know that a proprietary book helps all that much. How many newbies are going to shell out $27 for a PDF or $40 for a print version of this? Free content would help a *lot* more, and *if* the WMF is in a legal position where they could force it to happen, I think they should.
If the WMF isn't in such a legal position, then I go back to my comment earlier: "Wow, I'm rather surprised by that. Ohwell." Too bad.
Contrary to some perceptions, it is not unreasonable for someone who invests the time and money to write a book to then expect to make money off of it. Talk of "forcing" them to make this work free content is tantamount to robbery and ridiculously unethical in my opinion.
-Robert Rohde