Wikimedia Commons

Frae Wikipedia

The Wikimedia Commons (cried "Commons" or "Wikicommons" an aa) is a store o free content eimages, soond an ither multimedia files. It is a projeck o the Wikimedia Foundation. Files uploaded ti this store can be uised like locally uploaded files on aa ither projecks on the Wikimedia servers, like Wikipedia, Wikibooks an Wikinews.

The project wis proponed in Mairch 2004 an launched on 7 September, 2004. An important raeson for the setup o a central store wis a wish ti lessen duplication o effort ower the Wikimedia projecks an leids, sin the same file haed ti be uploaded ti monie different wikis ane bi ane afore the Commons wis created.

The possibility o local uploads exists yet, but shoud be uised maistlins for material that local project policies permit, but that wadna be permitted bi the licensin policy o the Commons, sic as fair uise content. As o 2005, the Wikimedia Commons itsel daesna allou fair uise or uploads under non-free licences, sic as licenses that restrick commercial uise o materials. Licences that are aaricht are them like the GNU Free Documentation License or Creative Commons licences wi nae restricks on uise, as weel as the public domain.

Gien its main function as a supportin projeck for the ither Wikimedia wab steids, the main content policy for files uploaded ti the Commons is that they maun can be uissfu on onie o the Wikimedia projecks. This daesna mean material sic as richt personal picturs an airtwark, in contrast ti eimage sharing stores like Flickr an DeviantART. Nanetheless, grat numbers o files hosted on the Commons arena uised direckly on onie Wikimedia projeck an likely nivver will be; sae the projeck haes grown intil a store o multimedia in its ain richt, that is aften airted til frae airticles on Wikipedia an ither Wikimedia wabsteids ti gie supplemental materials.

The project has grown gey quickly syne its birth. On 24 May, 2005, it raxed a milestane o 100,000 uploaded media files (ootwi thoosands o weather an mercat data eimages for Wikinews). It was the first Wikimedia projeck til uise MediaWiki 1.4 an aa. The defaut leid for the Commons is English, but the interface can be configured (in uiser preferences) til uise onie ither leid. Some pages have been owerset intil ither leids an aa.

Files on the Wikimedia Commons are categorised uising MediaWiki's category seistem. Mairanower, they are aften collected on individual topical gallery pages. As o May 2005, monie different collections can be isolated: mair nor 10,000 public domain pentins frae ancient ti modren times, 7,733 pronunciation files in a hantle leids, hunders o public domain recordins o classical music, an a growing collection o short videos.

Atho the projeck wis oreiginally proponed ti haud free text files an aa, thir files are yet hosted on anither projeck, Wikisource.

The Wikimedia Commons haes received an honourable mention at the 2005 Prix Ars Electronica awards in May 2005..

[edit] See forbye

Creative Commons - a projeck giein free content licences an a directory o freely licensed works
Internet Archive - the largest freely accessible online collection o videos
Ourmedia - a commonty media archive