
Wikimedia Foundation director resigns after uproar over “Knowledge Engine” - timemachine
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/02/head-of-wikimedia-foundation-resigns-as-tensions-with-editors-mount/
======
jitl
Why did the community react with such vitriol to the search engine product? I
would like a free, open, privacy conscious search engine to exist.

~~~
xlayn
Those search engines exist, among them

    
    
      -https://search.disconnect.me
      -Duck Duck Go
    

Look at it this way: they would try to create a competitive advantage, as they
are also behind Wikipedia they could better use it, in the process they can
create an API to access information in such a way that other search engines
cant.

A better proposal would be to create a project to start adding semantics to
the Wikipedia project, maybe a RFC and standards so all search engines can
benefit of it.

Another option could be an open sourced project to host blogs making use of
the above described tech.

Then you could perform a search based on the "intended meaning" instead of the
words included and who reference it.

Edit: Removed Yandex per comment below after research.

~~~
gkya
Sorry, Yandex?

~~~
xlayn
I stand corrected, I erronously implied that the fact DDG uses its results
implied the same policy about privacy which does not.

" 2.3. Data collected by or transmitted to Yandex, the Company or Partners, in
the course of accessing, interaction and operation of the Site and provision
of the Services may include, without limitation, the following Data: (i)
Internet Protocol (IP) address and location; (ii) cookie information; (iii)
browser identification information; (iv) information on your software and
hardware; (v) date and time of accessing the Site and the Services; (vi)
information of third parties websites referred the Site or the Services; (vii)
information related to your activity in the course of the Services use,
including, without limitation, search queries history, search results provided
to you in response to your query, web pages you visited by reference from the
search results; (viii) other information."

[https://yandex.com/legal/privacy/](https://yandex.com/legal/privacy/)

------
nxzero
As much as I value Wikipedia as a resource, I've personally never understood
the culture behind it. Long-term, to me, it's unclear what the future holds
for it.

~~~
empath75
It's both a never ending disaster and the greatest resource in the history of
the world.

~~~
matzipan
That's most of human nature you're describing there.

------
Camillo
The Wikimedia Foundation should treat its treasure trove of donations as an
endowment and use it to guarantee the survival of Wikipedia. If they just
invested it, they may never need to do a donation drive again.

------
bjt
Disappointing to see this die. I would really like there to be some open,
public API with a knowledge engine backend that could be part of an open
source alternative to Siri, Cortana, Echo, etc.

~~~
reality_hacker
some projects like wikidata and dbpedia provide public APIs. You can query
them using SPARQL for example.

~~~
techdragon
Having actively looked into using Wikidata as part of a system... Hahaha ...
yeah it's great for Wikipedia but pretty useless for anyone else. Don't get me
started on how useless SPARQL is for "explorative search".

------
booop
Good riddance. Everything about her has been a disaster. From her single edit
history to her statement that she was afraid to address the community.

She even has her name on a damn SOFTWARE PATENT. What were they thinking when
they put her in charge?

~~~
xlayn
If she has a software patent, it could mean she understands how the system
works, you wouldn't hire a lawyer who doesn't have a title, on the other hand,
one that has written a law would appear more knowledgeable.

What I suspect is the problem is this

"The Board tasked me with making changes to serve the next generation and
ensure our impact in the future,"

I would suspect if this is not political correct wording for "let's make
money".

~~~
booop
> If she has a software patent, it could mean she understands how the system
> works, you wouldn't hire a lawyer who doesn't have a title, on the other
> hand, one that has written a law would appear more knowledgeable.

You're being too considerate. It's not like hiring a lawyer who's written a
law or has a title. It's like saying a lawyer needs to commit a crime to be a
better lawyer.

~~~
Someone1234
> It's like saying a lawyer needs to commit a crime to be a better lawyer.

That's a ridiculous analogy. I am no fan of software patents either but
likening them to a crime is just absurd.

~~~
marrs
a bit like file sharing then

