[Wikipedia-l] A quick thought about 1.0

[Jimmy Wales]

Andre Engels wrote:
> > Cunc has argued, correctly I think, that the idea of 1.0 may be
> > causing people to delete things that really need not be deleted.  For
> > this reason, he thinks it best to pursue 1.0 under a non-Wikipedia
> > brand name, possibly Nupedia.
> 
> Any evidence for that, or is this just the so-manieth attack against
> deletionism?

Well, I think it's right, but I also think that we don't really need
to come to any specific conclusion about it, so long as we have
avenues for people of different viewpoints to peacefully pursue their
goals.  That is, people who have a more "deletionist" viewpoint in
which the range of appropriate topics is more narrow can work on that
aspect of things, while people who have a more "completionist"
viewpoint in which the range of appropriate topics is more broad can
work on _that_ aspect of things.

> In other words, I should just let Wikipedia rot because I want to remove
> some things, and instead go to another project where a lot more deletion
> is necessary.

No, that's precisely what I'm arguing *against*.  This is exactly why
we should not have *another* project, but should instead pursue a
certification process within Wikipedia proper.

> Well, I disagree with that. I want Wikipedia to be an encyclopedia. The
> encyclopedia that 1.0 could have been had it had more space. I don't
> want Wikipedia to be just a dumping place for information that someone
> happens to want to write about.

Well, I agree with you that Wikipedia ought not to be "just a dumping
place for information".  But surely you will agree with me that there
is room for differing viewpoints on just where that boundary lies?  That
we ought not to pursue the narrowest possible viewpoint _solely_?

--Jimbo