Wikipedia: All the World's Knowledge for FREE

This is not a new revelation, but a recap of one the most interesting Open Source projects. While Open Source typically refers to software development projects such as the Linux kernel, the essence of Open Source movement espouses that knowledge belongs to humanity and not corporations. Wikipedia is a web-based encyclopedia that utilitizes volunteers from all around the world to contribute, edit, and comment on entries. The technology is based around a Wiki, which is a collaborative application that places editorial control to the community at large rather than a select group of editors. Editors are redefined to be contributors who provide "house-keeping" services to the Wiki community.

Wikipedia is a truly global effort in terms of topics, languages and points-of-view supported. The system's strength is in its cross linking capabilities. Just about every noun in Wikipedia is hyperlinked to another entry. The most amazing aspect of the Wikipedia community is the rate at which entries are updated. Today (November 1, 2004), just for kicks, I reread the entry on Osama bin Laden and an asute community member had already updated the news that bin Laden had claimed responsbility for September 11 just a week before. Beat that Brittanica!.

In terms of time scale, Wikipedia is nascent given that it aspires be a continuous chronical of life on Earth. New topics from different cultures, from different times can be appended to this massive fountain of knowledge as contributors with new information discover Wikipedia.

I personally believe that Wikipedia is as important to the internet as Google's search. Google's strength is to provide a sense of order and access to all the world's information (Google's claim anyway). Wikipedia provides structure and a self-sustainable way to organize all the world's knowledge. A powerful concept and tool indeed.