[WikiEN-l] Microsoft kills Encarta

[Nathan]

On Tue, Mar 31, 2009 at 4:45 AM, Carcharoth <carcharothwp at googlemail.com>wrote:

>
>
> Agreed. Though is it annoying when you see people working on things to
> address this, and then see critics, who inspired some people, carry on
> criticising the meta-processes, instead of supporting efforts made to
> improve those meta-processes. Cynicism on your part, maybe, but please
> don't infect people trying to change things.
>
>
There's change, and then there is the seeming of change. I don't think its
cynical to oppose processes that appear to be helpful, but may actually set
progress back. On the particular issue I assume you refer to, that Scott of
all people opposes it should be a major cause for reflection on the part of
those who support it.

On the Library of Alexandria - the failure of a community to protect a
knowledge resource is something that seems to take a form appropriate to the
age. I don't think Wikipedia will find such a dramatic end, though; the
problems we face are ultimately common ones. We're organized as an unlimited
number of committees, and all the downfalls of governance by committee and
direct democracy are thus multiplied. Even the founders of the U.S., as
afraid as they were of the power of a monarch, understood the need for an
executive leadership.

Nathan