For more information on this item please visit the CANARIE CA*net 3 Optical Internet program web site at http://www.canarie.ca/canet4/library/list.html ------------------------------------------- OPEN SOURCE ENCYCLOPEDIA BOASTS 100,000 ENTRIES One of the Web's first open-source encyclopedias, Wikipedia, has reached a milestone -- its English-language version has just published its 100,000th article, just two years after the project's inception. This past year particularly has seen a surge in growth, with editors adding 80,000 entries to the English version and 33,000 more to the other language editions. The Wikipedia is the result of collaboration among thousands of volunteers -- anyone may contribute and article, or edit an existing one, at any time. "People from very diverse backgrounds can agree on what can be in an encyclopedia article, even if they can't agree on something else," says Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales. Topics range from Internet terms, such as spamming and trolling, to more traditional subjects, such as unicycling. Each page features an "Edit this page" link, which users can click on to add their own revisions. Once a user has made an editing change, it is posted immediately. Users can also view older versions of a page, participate in a forum to discuss the page, view links or see related changes. These options facilitate an ongoing "peer-review" process among the Wiki community. To maintain some sense of order, a core group of regular contributors help monitor the site's recent changes to correct any errors and ensure that entries aren't vandalized. The project has proven so popular among its fans that it's spawned a sister project dubbed Wiktionary, a free multilingual dictionary and thesaurus. (Wired.com 28 Jan 2003) http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,57364,00.html *****