I know it's fun to bash Microsoft and all, but the source site here is not, in fact, dead.
Funny how a very active site says "© 2008 Microsoft Corporation" in the footer.
(3) PEER-TO-PEER FILE SHARING SOFTWARE- The term ‘peer-to-peer file sharing software’--
(A) means a program, application, or software that is commercially marketed or distributed to the public and that enables--
(i) a file or files on the computer on which such program is installed to be designated as available for searching and copying to one or more other computers;
(ii) the searching of files on the computer on which such program is installed and the copying of any such file to another computer-- (I) at the initiative of such other computer and without requiring any action by an owner or authorized user of the computer on which such program is installed; and (II) without requiring an owner or authorized user of the computer on which such program is installed to have selected or designated another computer as the recipient of any such file; and
(iii) an owner or authorized user of the computer on which such program is installed to search files on one or more other computers using the same or a compatible program, application, or software, and copy such files to such owner or user’s computer; and
(B) does not include a program, application, or software designed primarily--
(i) to operate as a server that is accessible over the Internet using the Internet Domain Name system;
(ii) to transmit or receive email messages, instant messaging, real-time audio or video communications, or real-time voice communications; or
First off, wouldn't "the Internet Domain Name system" include reverse DNS? Secondly, "Peer-to-peer" software is nothing more than machines acting as both "clients" and "servers" and the broadness of what they believe "peer-to-peer" programs are could include public web servers.
Someone just lost their job.
I highly doubt someone lost their job over this - and they shouldn't. There are no perfect systems out there, period. Given Wikipedia is a not for profit corporation, they very likely have limited resources and the IT staff does the best with what they have. Even with a virtual unlimited amount of resources things can still go wrong in a "Perfect Storm".
If anything, the System Administrators should be commended for their quick actions to get the site back up and running as soon as they did.
Also, is ANYTHING still useful in 80 years?
Investments in education.
Not really, in 80 years no amount of education will prevent you from being worn out an obsolete too.
"The one charm of marriage is that it makes a life of deception a neccessity." - Oscar Wilde