This week wikipedia co-founder Larry Sanger issued a statement urging philanthropists to support the creation of free online textbooks. Wired Campus reports:

"This week Mr. Sanger posted a public appeal to philanthropists in the form of an online petition, outlining his vision of a world where textbooks cost children nothing. He's asking other Internet users to sign on, and about 20 have done so as of this writing. (The letter focuses on K-12 textbooks, but it seems that a similar logic could be used for college textbooks as well.)

"Sometimes the simplest ways are the best," says Mr. Sanger in the petition. "This opportunity is 'low-hanging fruit.'"

Unfortunately, the statement doesn't lay out any specific details or a plan for making the textbook project possible. But, hopefully, it will encourage conversation and get people to seriously consider altering the textbook industry. If the idea catches on, online students may be able to learn exclusively from no-cost virtual materials sometime in the near future.