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'''Wikipedia''' is an [[online encyclopedia]] founded  on January 15, 2001 by two [[United States|American]] citizens, pornography entrepreneur and options trader [[Jimmy Wales]] and philosophy professor [[Larry Sanger]]. It is controlled by the [[United States]]-based [[Wikimedia Foundation]]. Although it has editions in 250 languages, only 130 have more than 1000 articles.<ref>[http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/List_of_Wikipedias List of Wikipedias - Wikimedia], accessed August 1, 2008.</ref> After about four years from the date of its foundation, Wikipedia had about 450,000 articles,<ref>Aaron Weiss, The Unassociated Press, N.Y. Times, Feb. 10, 2005, at G5.</ref> and after six years it had about 1.7 million entries.<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Statistics English Wikipedia statistics] accessed August 1, 2008</ref>
 
'''Wikipedia''' is an [[online encyclopedia]] founded  on January 15, 2001 by two [[United States|American]] citizens, pornography entrepreneur and options trader [[Jimmy Wales]] and philosophy professor [[Larry Sanger]]. It is controlled by the [[United States]]-based [[Wikimedia Foundation]]. Although it has editions in 250 languages, only 130 have more than 1000 articles.<ref>[http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/List_of_Wikipedias List of Wikipedias - Wikimedia], accessed August 1, 2008.</ref> After about four years from the date of its foundation, Wikipedia had about 450,000 articles,<ref>Aaron Weiss, The Unassociated Press, N.Y. Times, Feb. 10, 2005, at G5.</ref> and after six years it had about 1.7 million entries.<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Statistics English Wikipedia statistics] accessed August 1, 2008</ref>
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==History==
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Wikipedia began as a complementary project for [[Nupedia]], a free online [[English language|English-language]] encyclopedia project whose articles were written by experts and reviewed under a formal process. Nupedia was founded on [[March 9]], [[2000]], under the ownership of [[Bomis|Bomis, Inc]], a [[web portal]] company. Its main figures were [[Jimmy Wales]], Bomis [[Chief executive officer|CEO]], and [[Larry Sanger]], [[Editing|editor-in-chief]] for Nupedia and later Wikipedia. Nupedia was licensed initially under its own [[Nupedia Open Content License]], switching to the [[GNU Free Documentation License]] before Wikipedia's founding at the urging of [[Richard Stallman]].<ref name="stallman1999">{{cite web
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|url=http://www.gnu.org/encyclopedia/encyclopedia.html
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|title=The Free Encyclopedia Project
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|accessdate=2008-01-04
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|last=Stallman
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|first=Richard M.
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|authorlink=Richard Stallman
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|date=2007-06-20
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|publisher=[[Free Software Foundation]]}}</ref>
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Larry Sanger and Jimmy Wales are the founders of Wikipedia.<ref name="projectorigins"/><ref name="Sanger-NYTimes">
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{{cite news
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|first=Peter
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|last=Meyers
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|title=Fact-Driven? Collegial? This Site Wants You
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|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9800E5D6123BF933A1575AC0A9679C8B63&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fSubjects%2fC%2fComputer%20Software
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|publisher=''[[The New York Times]]''
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|date=[[September 20]], [[2001]]
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|accessdate=2007-11-22}}<small>"I can start an article that will consist of one paragraph, and then a real expert will come along and add three paragraphs and clean up my one paragraph," said Larry Sanger of Las Vegas, who founded Wikipedia with Mr. Wales.</small></ref> While Wales is credited with defining the goal of making a publicly editable encyclopedia,<ref name="SangerMemoir" /> Sanger is usually credited with the [[Intuition (knowledge)|counter-intuitive]] [[strategy]] of using a [[wiki]] to reach that goal.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikipedia-l/2001-October/000671.html|title=Wikipedia-l: LinkBacks?|accessdate=2007-02-20}}</ref> On [[January 10]], [[2001]], [[Larry Sanger]] proposed on the Nupedia [[mailing list]] to create a wiki as a "feeder" project for Nupedia.<ref>{{cite news |author=[[Larry Sanger]] |title=Let's make a wiki |date=[[January 10]], [[2001]] |publisher=Internet Archive |url=http://web.archive.org/web/20030414014355/http://www.nupedia.com/pipermail/nupedia-l/2001-January/000676.html}}</ref>
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Wikipedia was formally launched on [[January 15]], [[2001]], as a single English-language edition at www.wikipedia.com,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://web.archive.org/web/20010331173908/http://www.wikipedia.com/ |title=Wikipedia: HomePage |accessdate= 2001-03-31}}</ref> and announced by Sanger on the Nupedia mailing list.<ref>{{cite news |author=[[Larry Sanger]] |title=Wikipedia is up! |date=[[January 17]], [[2001]] |publisher=Internet Archive |url=http://web.archive.org/web/20010506042824/www.nupedia.com/pipermail/nupedia-l/2001-January/000684.html}}</ref>
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Wikipedia's policy of "neutral point-of-view"<ref name="NPOV">"[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Neutral_point_of_view&oldid=102236018 Wikipedia:Neutral point of view], Wikipedia (21 January 2007)</ref> was codified in its initial months, and was similar to Nupedia's earlier "nonbiased" policy. Otherwise, there were relatively few rules initially and Wikipedia operated independently of Nupedia.<ref name="SangerMemoir">{{cite news |author=[[Larry Sanger]] |title=The Early History of Nupedia and Wikipedia: A Memoir|date=[[April 18]], [[2005]] |publisher=[[Slashdot]] |url=http://features.slashdot.org/features/05/04/18/164213.shtml}}</ref>
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Wikipedia gained early contributors from Nupedia, [[Slashdot]] postings, and [[Web search engine|search engine]] indexing. It grew to approximately 20,000 articles, and 18 language editions, by the end of 2001. By late 2002 it had reached 26 language editions, 46 by the end of 2003, and 161 by the final days of 2004.<ref>"[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Multilingual_statistics Multilingual statistics]", Wikipedia, [[March 30]], [[2005]]</ref> Nupedia and Wikipedia coexisted until the former's servers went down permanently in 2003, and its text was incorporated into Wikipedia. [[English Wikipedia]] passed the 2,000,000-article mark on [[September 9]], [[2007]], making it the largest encyclopedia ever assembled, eclipsing even the [[Yongle Encyclopedia]] (1407), which had held the record for exactly 600&nbsp;years.<ref name="EB_encyclopedia">{{cite encyclopedia |title=Encyclopedias and Dictionaries |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica, 15th ed. |publisher= Encyclopædia Britannica |date=2007 |volume=18 |pages=257–286}}</ref>
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Citing fears of commercial advertising and lack of control in a perceived English-centric Wikipedia, users of the [[Spanish Wikipedia]] forked from Wikipedia to create the ''[[Enciclopedia Libre]]'' in February 2002.<ref>{{cite web|title=
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[long] Enciclopedia Libre: msg#00008|url=http://osdir.com/ml/science.linguistics.wikipedia.international/2003-03/msg00008.html|work=Osdir}}</ref> Later that year, Wales announced that Wikipedia would not display advertisements, and its website was moved to wikipedia.org.<ref>{{cite book|last=Shirky|first=Clay|authorlink=Clay Shirky|title=Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations|pages=273|date=[[February 28]], [[2008]]|publisher=The Penguin Press via Amazon Online Reader|url=http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/1594201536/ref=sib_dp_srch_pop?v=search-inside&keywords=spanish&go.x=0&go.y=0&go=Go%21#|isbn=1-594201-53-6}}</ref> Various other projects have since forked from Wikipedia for editorial reasons. [[Wikinfo]] does not require neutral point of view and allows original research. New Wikipedia-inspired projects — such as [[Citizendium]], [[Scholarpedia]], [[Conservapedia]] and Google's [[Knol]] — have been started to address perceived limitations of Wikipedia, such as its policies on [[peer review]], [[original research]] and commercial [[advertising]].
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The [[Wikimedia Foundation]] was created from Wikipedia and Nupedia on [[June 20]], [[2003]].<ref>[[Jimmy Wales]]: "[http://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikipedia-l/2003-June/010743.html Announcing Wikimedia Foundation]", [[June 20]], [[2003]], <Wikipedia-l@wikipedia.org></ref> It applied to the [[United States Patent and Trademark Office]] to [[trademark]] ''Wikipedia'' on [[September 17]], [[2004]]. The mark was granted registration status on [[January 10]], [[2006]]. Trademark protection was accorded by [[Japan]] on [[December 16]], [[2004]], and in the [[European Union]] on [[January 20]], [[2005]]. Technically a [[service mark]], the scope of the mark is for: "Provision of [[information]] in the field of general encyclopedic knowledge via the [[Internet]]"{{Fact|date=June 2008}}. There are plans to license the use of the Wikipedia trademark for some products, such as books or DVDs.<ref>{{cite news |first=Vipin |last=Nair|title=Growing on volunteer power |date=[[December 5]], [[2005]] |publisher=Business Line |url=http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/ew/2005/12/05/stories/2005120500070100.htm}}</ref>
  
 
==Is wikipedia free?==
 
==Is wikipedia free?==

Revision as of 12:37, 6 August 2008

Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia founded on January 15, 2001 by two American citizens, pornography entrepreneur and options trader Jimmy Wales and philosophy professor Larry Sanger. It is controlled by the United States-based Wikimedia Foundation. Although it has editions in 250 languages, only 130 have more than 1000 articles.[1] After about four years from the date of its foundation, Wikipedia had about 450,000 articles,[2] and after six years it had about 1.7 million entries.[3]

History

Wikipedia began as a complementary project for Nupedia, a free online English-language encyclopedia project whose articles were written by experts and reviewed under a formal process. Nupedia was founded on March 9, 2000, under the ownership of Bomis, Inc, a web portal company. Its main figures were Jimmy Wales, Bomis CEO, and Larry Sanger, editor-in-chief for Nupedia and later Wikipedia. Nupedia was licensed initially under its own Nupedia Open Content License, switching to the GNU Free Documentation License before Wikipedia's founding at the urging of Richard Stallman.[4]

Larry Sanger and Jimmy Wales are the founders of Wikipedia.[5][6] While Wales is credited with defining the goal of making a publicly editable encyclopedia,[7] Sanger is usually credited with the counter-intuitive strategy of using a wiki to reach that goal.[8] On January 10, 2001, Larry Sanger proposed on the Nupedia mailing list to create a wiki as a "feeder" project for Nupedia.[9] Wikipedia was formally launched on January 15, 2001, as a single English-language edition at www.wikipedia.com,[10] and announced by Sanger on the Nupedia mailing list.[11] Wikipedia's policy of "neutral point-of-view"[12] was codified in its initial months, and was similar to Nupedia's earlier "nonbiased" policy. Otherwise, there were relatively few rules initially and Wikipedia operated independently of Nupedia.[7]

Wikipedia gained early contributors from Nupedia, Slashdot postings, and search engine indexing. It grew to approximately 20,000 articles, and 18 language editions, by the end of 2001. By late 2002 it had reached 26 language editions, 46 by the end of 2003, and 161 by the final days of 2004.[13] Nupedia and Wikipedia coexisted until the former's servers went down permanently in 2003, and its text was incorporated into Wikipedia. English Wikipedia passed the 2,000,000-article mark on September 9, 2007, making it the largest encyclopedia ever assembled, eclipsing even the Yongle Encyclopedia (1407), which had held the record for exactly 600 years.[14]

Citing fears of commercial advertising and lack of control in a perceived English-centric Wikipedia, users of the Spanish Wikipedia forked from Wikipedia to create the Enciclopedia Libre in February 2002.[15] Later that year, Wales announced that Wikipedia would not display advertisements, and its website was moved to wikipedia.org.[16] Various other projects have since forked from Wikipedia for editorial reasons. Wikinfo does not require neutral point of view and allows original research. New Wikipedia-inspired projects — such as Citizendium, Scholarpedia, Conservapedia and Google's Knol — have been started to address perceived limitations of Wikipedia, such as its policies on peer review, original research and commercial advertising.

The Wikimedia Foundation was created from Wikipedia and Nupedia on June 20, 2003.[17] It applied to the United States Patent and Trademark Office to trademark Wikipedia on September 17, 2004. The mark was granted registration status on January 10, 2006. Trademark protection was accorded by Japan on December 16, 2004, and in the European Union on January 20, 2005. Technically a service mark, the scope of the mark is for: "Provision of information in the field of general encyclopedic knowledge via the Internet"[unverified]. There are plans to license the use of the Wikipedia trademark for some products, such as books or DVDs.[18]

Is wikipedia free?

It receives support from Bomis Inc. in the form of free bandwidth and this connection with a for-profit corporation is seen as a burden affecting the functioning of Wikipedia as a free encyclopedia as it claims to be.

References

  1. ↑ List of Wikipedias - Wikimedia, accessed August 1, 2008.
  2. ↑ Aaron Weiss, The Unassociated Press, N.Y. Times, Feb. 10, 2005, at G5.
  3. ↑ English Wikipedia statistics accessed August 1, 2008
  4. ↑ Stallman, Richard M. The Free Encyclopedia Project. Free Software Foundation. URL accessed on 2008-01-04.
  5. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named projectorigins
  6. ↑ Meyers, Peter (September 20, 2001). "Fact-Driven? Collegial? This Site Wants You". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9800E5D6123BF933A1575AC0A9679C8B63&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fSubjects%2fC%2fComputer%20Software. Retrieved 2007-11-22."I can start an article that will consist of one paragraph, and then a real expert will come along and add three paragraphs and clean up my one paragraph," said Larry Sanger of Las Vegas, who founded Wikipedia with Mr. Wales. </li>
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Larry Sanger (April 18, 2005). "The Early History of Nupedia and Wikipedia: A Memoir". Slashdot. http://features.slashdot.org/features/05/04/18/164213.shtml. </li>
  8. ↑ Wikipedia-l: LinkBacks?. URL accessed on 2007-02-20.
  9. ↑ Larry Sanger (January 10, 2001). "Let's make a wiki". Internet Archive. http://web.archive.org/web/20030414014355/http://www.nupedia.com/pipermail/nupedia-l/2001-January/000676.html. </li>
  10. ↑ Wikipedia: HomePage. URL accessed on 2001-03-31.
  11. ↑ Larry Sanger (January 17, 2001). "Wikipedia is up!". Internet Archive. http://web.archive.org/web/20010506042824/www.nupedia.com/pipermail/nupedia-l/2001-January/000684.html. </li>
  12. ↑ "Wikipedia:Neutral point of view, Wikipedia (21 January 2007)
  13. ↑ "Multilingual statistics", Wikipedia, March 30, 2005
  14. ↑ Template:cite encyclopedia
  15. ↑ [long Enciclopedia Libre: msg#00008]. Osdir.
  16. ↑ Shirky, Clay (February 28, 2008). Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations, p. 273, The Penguin Press via Amazon Online Reader.
  17. ↑ Jimmy Wales: "Announcing Wikimedia Foundation", June 20, 2003, <Wikipedia-l@wikipedia.org>
  18. ↑ Nair, Vipin (December 5, 2005). "Growing on volunteer power". Business Line. http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/ew/2005/12/05/stories/2005120500070100.htm. </li> </ol>

External links

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