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[Bug-gnupedia] GNUPedia - Nupedia: Different approaches


From: Zeno Gantner
Subject: [Bug-gnupedia] GNUPedia - Nupedia: Different approaches
Date: Thu, 18 Jan 2001 15:44:45 +0100

As far I understand RMS's announcement, the GNUPedia
is some kind of meta-project, just like the GNU Project:

The GNU Project is developing and collecting Free Software
in order to make the whole community of computer users able
to build an operating system.
But the FSF hasn't ever released a real operating system
distribution. Others have done.
Linux is not part of the GNU Project, but it fits into its
concept, because it uses the GPL.
Commercial software vendors like RedHat, but also independent
projects like Debian, have then released distributions.
They took the (free) software they needed, looked at it, did
modifications specific to their needs. Some also added
proprietary software (Netscape and stuff).
If you compare that to the process of compiling an encyclopaedia,
they did the review. They did the quality control.
The most important thing about the GNU Project is not the great
software it produced (indeed, there is GREAT GNU software), but
the fact that there is the GPL, which makes sure that code can
be used, shared and reused by millions of people around the
world.
The GNU Project is no central control. Everyone may create an
operating system from the existing (free) modules.

With GNUPedia, there is something similar, but not in the field
of software development. It is about creating a huge knowledge
base that can be used freely (from free speech, not beer - you
know) by many people.  It is a very long-term goal.
With this knowledge base, it is possible for other persons/
institutions, to release their own free encyclopaedias. These
institutions can do the quality control.
Nupedia is, according to what has been written on this list
(sorry, I'm quite busy now, I had no time to read the web site)
an attempt to create an encyclopaedia, but in the sense of a
ready-to-use book (... cd-rom, web site), just like the Linux
distributions are an attempt to create a free Unix-like operating
systems. But I don't know if Nupedia license fits the attributes RMS
has described in his announcement.

There is no need to merge GNUPedia and Nupedia, because they have
very different goals.
No one claims that Debian and GNU should merge, because these
projects have also very different priorities.

We should discuss if the Nupedia license is compatible to the
definition of "free" in the GNUPedia announcement.
If so - very good! 
If not, let's talk about changing it!
If the license is compatible to the GNU ideals, the project that
is now called "GNUPedia" has already some content. But there is
no need to merge, because Nupedia should go on and work on the
encyclopaedia (with quality control and so on), and GNUPedia
cares about licensing issues, finding other resources, writing
of articles/courses that don't fit into Nupedia and spreading the
idea of a free universal encyclopaedia.

No matter how the discussions about the Nupedia license end,
GNUPedia has to change the name, the names are too similar,
and, as state by others before, Nupedia was there first.

I appeal to persons involved in the two project to do the talks
very careful and in manner of solidarity, because I think we all
have similar visions in mind.
Nupedia has already done concrete work, and the Free Software
Foundation and the Free Software community in general has more
experience in licensing issues.
Let's join the forces, helping GNUPedia to have more content
and Nupedia to have a good licence and good ways to improve their
encyclopaedia.
Both projects can benefit from each other.
But a lot of work will get lost or has to be done twice if the
projects do not become compatible.


 Zeno Gantner

PS: Excuse my English, I am not a native speaker.



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