Re: Langmaker and FrathWiki (was Re: Wikipedia:Verifiability - Mailing lists as sources)

On Fri, Feb 29, 2008 at 8:36 AM, Rick Harrison <rick@...> wrote:
> LangMaker and the projects on FrathWiki are interesting and valuable because they are
>  funky individualistic neighborhoods.
And I guess that's where we fundamentally disagree.

For me, LangMaker, FrathWiki, et al are interesting *exactly* to the
degree that they provide interesting information - i.e. the content /
functionality rather than the site per se. And by extension, it's
valuable only inasmuch as it is accessible. Thus from my POV,
improving this content / functionality directly improves its value.

Whereas you assign (primary?) value simply to its existence in its
historical *form*, which to me is completely irrelevant. I respect
those who have done that work before, and I want to preserve their
*functional* contributions (i.e. the information), but I do not value
the *form* thereof at all. (And even feel that if preserving the form
means it languishing unread or unused, it's being done a disservice.)

This is a pretty old form / function, tradition / improvement
dichotomy. Let's please at least acknowledge it for what it is
politely, and not engage in reductio ad hitl^H^H^H^Hwalmartium. ;-)

Remember, valuations are axiomatic, and engaging in a conversation
without agreeing on axioms (whether they be definitions or valuations
or whatever) is never effective.

- Sai

Reply