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wikipedia turns 25 today! the last unenshittified major website! backbone of online info! triumph of humanity! powered by urge of unpaid randos to correct each other! somehow mostly reliable! "good thing wikipedia works in practice, because it sure doesn't work in theory" - old wiki adage

That old adage is one of my all-time faves. And yes, happy birthday to us all (said the very occasional editor and token donor). Amazing that it works, amazing that it *still* works. A shoutout has to be given to Jimmy Wales, for not trying to cash the whole thing in.

jimmy can have a shoutout but a lot of the push for the nonprofit ad-free model was from the early volunteers, 2001 to 2003ish era! jimmy listened but he kinda had to bc volunteers would have left otherwise. (spanish wikipedians left en masse at mere mention of potential banner ads in future!!!)

I joined in 2004, and by that stage the model was set and seemed the only thing imaginable. I only learned about the history later on, and I have so much respect for the early Wikipedians who fought that fight, and set Wikipedia on its path.