On Mon, Mar 30, 2009 at 11:51 PM, Jussi-Ville Heiskanen <cimonav...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> I think this casts a new interesting perspective on >> the decision by Microsoft to buy out powerset.com. >> >> I will be watching with interest, how they will develop >> that product, and whether they intend to incorporate >> it more extensively into their other product offerings. >> >> I have to admit I was skeptical initially when I heard >> powerset.com would be "gobbled up". But should it >> turn out that Microsoft were to really seriously put >> effort into powerset.com, any relief Encyclopaedia >> Britannica may have gained from the reduction of >> competition for number two spot, may prove a little >> short lived. That is unless of course Microsoft/Powerset >> make some kind of deal with EB that they can use >> powersets semantic search engine on also EB >> product. >> >> Of course it is possible that MS have made the >> judgment that the whole sector is not good for >> them, but actually I would prefer to be hopeful >> that this means they would give more impetus >> to powerset now. I personally think powerset is >> currently the best interface for wikipedia, bar >> none. >> >> On the gripping hand, if developing powerset is >> not on the cards for Microsoft, perhaps now that >> they have decided to not hold onto encarta, they >> might be persuadable to sell powerset off, since >> holding on to it is not fending off a competitor to >> encarta. The question of course then would be, >> who would be willing to buy powerset off their >> hands? >> David Goodman replied: > Britannica in its various incarnations and Encarta were excellent and > useful reference works. Britannica remains useful. Encarta I think > could have remained useful also. I really regret that we had a role in > killing it. Why should we be pleased? > The commercial organizations need to compete. We do not. The more > encyclopedias the better. > > > I think the answer is that we should be pleased that we became so much *more* useful. This is the _sentimentally_ sad, but logically *glorious* facet of competition as a concept. You won't find a world record holder in any sport that will not admit to a sadness when somebody surpasses theirs, and likely the fans of that particular sportsman will feel a pang in sympathy. But ask the sportsman squarely if they don't feel that their result being an inspiration for others to excel and surpass that result is and was a source of pride for them too, and I guarantee 99,9 % of record holders will say they genuinely thought their record was there to be broken, and as an inspiration for others to go faster, higher, stronger. Yours, Jussi-Ville Heiskanen _______________________________________________ WikiEN-l mailing list WikiEN-l@lists.wikimedia.org To unsubscribe from this mailing list, visit: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikien-l