ESP Wiki is looking for moderators and active contributors!

Difference between revisions of "ESP Wiki:About"

(typo)
({{SITENAME}} was launched in February 2009.)
(22 intermediate revisions by 3 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{navbox}}
+
Four key points to remember about {{SITENAME}}:
Two key points to remember about {{SITENAME}}:
+
# '''You''' can edit it.  Please do!  No account is necessary.  It uses the same wiki system as Wikipedia. (See: [[Help:How to make a good contribution]])
# '''You''' can edit it.  Please do!  No account is necessary, and it uses the same wiki system as Wikipedia.
+
# We gather facts and studies, and we also gather questions, theories, and even curious ideas found on other forums.  ''The goal is to open these to examination so that, eventually, they will be proven or disproven''.
# The pages are '''not statements''' from any person or organisation.  We gather facts and studies, and we also gather questions, rumours and theories - ''with the goal of opening these to examination so that, eventually, they can be proven or disproven''. If you spot an error, please remember point #1.
+
# If you spot an error, please remember point #1!
 +
# The pages are '''not statements from [[ESP]]''' or any person or organisation.
  
==Stay on topic==
+
{{SITENAME}} was launched in February 2009.
  
===We don't evaluate corporate strategies===
+
==Target audience: activists==
  
When documenting litigation between companies, we should ignore the media's estimations of the profitability or emotions and focus on what problems this litigation highlights.
+
{{SITENAME}} is a starting point or a help for activists. It probably isn't (yet) a good place to point politicians to, but it is a good resource for people needing info and studies which they can re-use when they're writing to politicians, or preparing a presentation, etc.
 
 
For example, when Oracle sued Google over Java patents:
 
* OFF TOPIC: Oracle wants to recuperate some of the costs of the purchase of Sun
 
* OFF TOPIC: Oracle is sick of owning Java and being the only company that's not profiting from it
 
 
 
Meanwhile:
 
* ''ON'' TOPIC: Oracle is creating uncertaintly for individuals and companies with projects based on Java
 
 
 
===Hardware patents are not our problem===
 
 
 
Hardware patents are not problems for software developers.  Hardware patents are only restrictions on the manufacturing and distribution of hardware.
 
 
 
Hardware patents might be bad economic policy.  Maybe they are, maybe they're not.  Same for patents on manufacturing pharmaceuticals or cars, but they're all off topic.  {{SITENAME}} is focussed on documenting the social and economic problems which patents cause to developers and distributors of software.
 
  
 
==How to be efficient: Document things as you work==
 
==How to be efficient: Document things as you work==
Line 27: Line 15:
 
The hope is that while activists work on anti-software-patent campaigns, they will note things on {{SITENAME}}.  By doing this, we consolidate our work while we do it, reducing the problem of information loss when people leave campaigns.
 
The hope is that while activists work on anti-software-patent campaigns, they will note things on {{SITENAME}}.  By doing this, we consolidate our work while we do it, reducing the problem of information loss when people leave campaigns.
  
==Wiki pages are ''not'' official ESP statements==
+
==The relationship of End Software Patents (ESP)==
 
 
This is a forum where community members collect information.  Anyone and everyone can edit these pages.
 
  
Members of the [[End Software Patents]] (ESP) campaign are the principal contributors, and often work seven days a week to monitor quality, but they are not the only contributors, and no permission is needed to edit the pages.
+
Members of the [[End Software Patents]] (ESP) campaign are the principal contributors (mostly [[User:Ciaran]]), and often work seven days a week to monitor quality, but they are not the only contributors, and do not systematically check all edits.
  
Silly or incorrect statements are sometimes let stayIt's better to find ''proof'' that they're incorrect, and add that, than to immediately remove statements just because we ''think'' they're incorrect.
+
The overall direction of {{SITENAME}} is monitored to ensure that it is a tool for campaigns against software patents, but that does not mean that every page is immediately correctedWe want to encourage broad participation, and quickly reverting or changing other people's contributions is frustrating for newcomers.  Instead, we focus on trying to help new contributors to better express and back up their contributions.
  
 
==Related pages on {{SITENAME}}==
 
==Related pages on {{SITENAME}}==
Line 39: Line 25:
 
* [[Our goals]]
 
* [[Our goals]]
 
* [[Finding things on en.swpat.org]]
 
* [[Finding things on en.swpat.org]]
 +
* [[Help:Contents]]
  
  
 
{{footer}}
 
{{footer}}

Revision as of 05:14, 9 December 2013

Four key points to remember about ESP Wiki:

  1. You can edit it. Please do! No account is necessary. It uses the same wiki system as Wikipedia. (See: Help:How to make a good contribution)
  2. We gather facts and studies, and we also gather questions, theories, and even curious ideas found on other forums. The goal is to open these to examination so that, eventually, they will be proven or disproven.
  3. If you spot an error, please remember point #1!
  4. The pages are not statements from ESP or any person or organisation.

ESP Wiki was launched in February 2009.

Target audience: activists

ESP Wiki is a starting point or a help for activists. It probably isn't (yet) a good place to point politicians to, but it is a good resource for people needing info and studies which they can re-use when they're writing to politicians, or preparing a presentation, etc.

How to be efficient: Document things as you work

The hope is that while activists work on anti-software-patent campaigns, they will note things on ESP Wiki. By doing this, we consolidate our work while we do it, reducing the problem of information loss when people leave campaigns.

The relationship of End Software Patents (ESP)

Members of the End Software Patents (ESP) campaign are the principal contributors (mostly User:Ciaran), and often work seven days a week to monitor quality, but they are not the only contributors, and do not systematically check all edits.

The overall direction of ESP Wiki is monitored to ensure that it is a tool for campaigns against software patents, but that does not mean that every page is immediately corrected. We want to encourage broad participation, and quickly reverting or changing other people's contributions is frustrating for newcomers. Instead, we focus on trying to help new contributors to better express and back up their contributions.

Related pages on ESP Wiki