What is it?

Wiki is software that allows users to create, edit, and link Web pages together. It is used to create collaborative Web sites and power community Web sites. Wiki databases can be edited live and in real time using a common Web browser. The software is usually implemented as an engine that runs on one or more Web servers, with the content stored in a file system and changes to the content stored in a relational database management system.

Personal wikis generally run as a standalone application on a single computer. The majority of engines are open source, often available under the GNU General Public License. The Web site Wiki.com, established in 2007, allows users to create their own wikis at no initial cost. The developer of the first wiki, called WikiWikiWeb, was Ward Cunningham in 1994. He based it on the ideas developed in HyperCard stacks built by him in the late 1980s. He called it “wiki wiki” as a reduplication of “wiki”, the Hawaiian word for fast.

Who is it for?

Wikis can be created and used by almost anyone.
They make sharing ideas and information easy, whether for a family vacation or a complex business enterprise. A wiki can increase creativity, expertise, and productivity all around by literally getting everyone “on the same page.” Early common uses included project communication, Intranets, and documentation, initially for technical users. Today some companies use wikis as their only collaborative software. Some wiki software is intended for content management or personal information organizing. This is sometimes called a Desktop Wiki or a Personal Wiki.

Features

The free wiki available from wiki.com includes two workspaces, up to five members each, and 25 mb storage, plus WYSIWYG editing, and page history. The wiki is scalable for business but fees may apply with extra members or storage. Additional features can include calendar sharing, live AV conferencing, RSS feeds and more. Audio conferencing, IM support, and other features are also available. Other features include project tracking, searchable discussion, shared calendars, Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint, PDF, and 256-Bit SSL Encryption.

Wikis generally are designed with the philosophy of making it easy to correct mistakes, rather than making it difficult to make them. They are very open, but also provide a means to verify the validity of recent additions. Articles are editable through the Web browser. Each article provides one-click access to the history/versioning page, which also supports version differencing and retrieving prior versions. The most recent additions or modifications of articles can be monitored actively or passively. Easy revert of changes is possible.

Compatibility

Wikis can be created on all types of operating systems, including Linux, Windows, and FreeBSD. They are also adaptable to most Web browsers. Many wikis are highly modular, providing APIs which allow programmers to develop new features without requiring them to be familiar with the entire codebase. Wikis can be based in Java, JavaScript, Lua, Lisp, Microsoft, Pascal, Perl, PHP, and many other script languages.

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