Re: [Fsfe-uk] Wikipedia to merge Free Software and Open Source

[Joe Llywelyn Griffith Blakesley]

As someone who has (mainly) diligently lurked on this list for years,
I feel the need to speak out on this issue.

>>I think he believes here is that Open Source Software and Free
Software have sufficiently different goals and ideals to merit
different Wikipedia articles as opposed to a combined article.<<

I don't think anyone would deny that the *movements* are sufficiently
different to merit separate articles. However, open-source and free
software themselves are collections of bits that lack different goals
or ideals due to our movements having unfortunately not yet given
birth to true artificial intelligence.

I called for these articles to be merged back in 2004 precisely
because they both cover almost exactly the same (encyclopedic) concept
(and arguably exactly the same one in general usage--as defined by a
dictionary rather than the FSF, OSI or DFSG), and Wikipedia is WP:NOT
a dictionary.  Unfortunately, as I see it, merger proposals have been
shouted down, generally without reasoned policy-based argument, by the
large number of extremist members of these two movements that happen
to be Wikipedia editors with more moderate editors deciding to get on
with more constructive editing discussions.

As an admitted long-term member and active supporter of the FSF (and
their point of view), I really don't think it is wise or necessary for
this to be made into a wider debate within our movements among those
who may not be so familiar with editing Wikipedia or it's policies on
mergers.

Yours,
Joe.