New York - (AFP) - Christie's has introduced a personal computer that Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales used when he launched the online encyclopedia 20 years ago, in addition to the front page of the famous site in the "NFT" digital format.
The computer was displayed at Christie's headquarters in Rockefeller Center in New York, and it is a red "iMac" that Jimmy Wales was using "as a personal computer for development and research operations when the site was launched on January 15, 2001," according to the statement. A statement by the auction house. Peter Clarent, a specialist in books and publications at Christie's, told AFP that the auction includes a digital piece in the "NFT" format approved to document the authenticity of digital products, "created by Jimmy Wales and showing the look of Wikipedia when he created it and launched its front page, with the phrase + Hello world +”.
Christie's notes that the page, provided in JPEG image format, will be interactive and can be "modified" by the buyer to "recreate the Wikipedia-building experience" and then "return to its original state using a timer".
Jimmy Wales said in the statement that the proceeds from the auction will go in part to fund his project WT.SOCIAL, "a decentralized, non-commercial social network devoid of advertising, tracking, data collection and misleading information."
WT.Social describes itself on its homepage as a "non-toxic social network".
Both pieces are on sale online until December 15, starting at $100 each, but Christie's hopes to sell them for "hundreds of thousands of dollars", according to Peter Clarent.
