Archive:Stories: Difference between revisions

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+{{cquote|Eric S. Raymond once said of the "bazaar" method of code development that with enough eyes, all bugs are shallow.  While something of a platitude, it still contains a kernel of wisdom.
+Wikipedia applies the bazaar model in a radical way to information in general.  Anyone can come edit an article here.  As a result, anyone reading is potentially a new contributor as well.  It may be something as minor as fixing a misplaced comma, or something as major as contributing an entirely new section.
+You never know where the next piece will come from.  You *do* know that with as many eyes are on Wikipedia, its strengths and weaknesses will be laid bare rather quickly, at least in most cases.
+And that's what makes Wikipedia so valuable to me.  I can come here and dive-bomb through any number of articles, and be exposed to an incredible amount of material that is informative, and generally has no other motive or agenda other than to inform.
+I can spend hours reading about Bretton-Woods and the gold standard, code breakers in World War II, the finer points of obscure corners of economics, the ethnic composition of Puerto Rico and is rich history, or who knows what!
+Each of these topics I rattled off are things I spent a fair bit of time reading about here.  I can find much of the same stuff with a web search, but I don't know what agenda it might have behind it.  When I do a web search and I see a Wikipedia link near the top, it's my first stop more often than not.}}
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 {{cquote|Wikipedia is a blessing. I formulate diabetic dessert mixes and the ingredients that are available for my use changes weekly. Wikipedia is a perfect place to begin initial research on a hunch, idea or an obscure reference in chemistry world. Being able to find data that is unclouded by advertising and spin is as refreshing as it is helpful. Thank you seems inadequate. But still, thank you.}}