[Python-Dev] Moving the developer docs? (original) (raw)
Steven D'Aprano steve at pearwood.info
Fri Sep 24 05:02:17 CEST 2010
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On Fri, 24 Sep 2010 01:42:03 am Martin v. Löwis wrote:
By nature (quick-quick), information is unorganized in a Wiki. This is what wiki advocates cite as its main feature, and wiki opponents as its main flaw.
I've never heard wiki advocates say that, and even a cursory glace at wikis like Wikipedia disprove the idea that wikis are necessarily disorganised. "Quick" does not mean unstructured, disorganised or unorganised.
Do you mean that the contributors to the wiki are disorganised, rather than the wiki itself? If so, perhaps, but again Wikipedia demonstrates that this is not necessarily the case. Wikipedia has a hierarchy of contributors. In reverse order:
- anonymous editors
- editors with accounts
- administrators
- Wikimedia Foundation, which is responsible for policy
- BDFL Jimmy Wales who is ultimately responsible for setting policy
One of the criticisms of Wikipedia is that it has diverged from its official aim to be the encyclopedia that anyone can edit to one where contributions from insiders, particularly "the Cabal", are preferred to those of new anonymous editors.
Other wikis have other policies: Citizendium and Scholarpedia are notable examples that attempt to increase the (real or perceived) reliability and accountability of their articles by prohibiting anonymous edits altogether. Despite the influence of Wikipedia, "wiki" does not mean "open to everyone to edit without supervision".
-- Steven D'Aprano
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