Comments on: The Virtual Revolution http://blog.mauveweb.co.uk/2010/01/31/virtual-revolution/ experiments in contemporary web development Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:12:55 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Gregory Kohs http://blog.mauveweb.co.uk/2010/01/31/virtual-revolution/comment-page-1/#comment-38193 Gregory Kohs Mon, 01 Feb 2010 15:47:45 +0000 http://blog.mauveweb.co.uk/?p=357#comment-38193 Interesting piece. Unfortunately, you're still perpetuating a myth surrounding Jimmy Wales and his "founding" Wikipedia. Dr. Larry Sanger is the one who brought the wiki concept to the moribund encyclopedia project (Nupedia) that Wales had founded. Sanger named it "Wikipedia", Wales was skeptical it would ever work, and Sanger strove for more than a year to nurture the project, helping to design and enforce many of the key guidelines and policies that still govern Wikipedia today. Years later, Wales deliberately sought to steal the credit for having "founded" Wikipedia. It's embarrassing, and it's a shame that too many journalists and bloggers now fall in line and credit Jimmy Wales with all of Wikipedia's better attributes. Wales is more responsible for the hands-off, unethical, unaccountable nature of how Wikipedia evolved after Sanger was let go due to "funding" issues. (Now Wikipedia is a $10.4 million per year operation, but Wales hasn't hired back Sanger, because that would be a too obvious reminder of the truth.) Interesting piece. Unfortunately, you're still perpetuating a myth surrounding Jimmy Wales and his "founding" Wikipedia. Dr. Larry Sanger is the one who brought the wiki concept to the moribund encyclopedia project (Nupedia) that Wales had founded. Sanger named it "Wikipedia", Wales was skeptical it would ever work, and Sanger strove for more than a year to nurture the project, helping to design and enforce many of the key guidelines and policies that still govern Wikipedia today.

Years later, Wales deliberately sought to steal the credit for having "founded" Wikipedia. It's embarrassing, and it's a shame that too many journalists and bloggers now fall in line and credit Jimmy Wales with all of Wikipedia's better attributes. Wales is more responsible for the hands-off, unethical, unaccountable nature of how Wikipedia evolved after Sanger was let go due to "funding" issues. (Now Wikipedia is a $10.4 million per year operation, but Wales hasn't hired back Sanger, because that would be a too obvious reminder of the truth.)

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