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Wiki software
Web Design & Development Guide
Wiki software
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List of wiki software
Comparison of wiki software
WikiServer
MediaWiki
TikiWiki
Wiki software is a type of
collaborative software that runs a
wiki
system. This typically allows web pages to be created and edited using a
common
web browser. It is usually implemented as a server-side script that runs on one or more
web
servers, with the content generally stored in a
relational database management system, although some implementations use
the server's file system instead.
Class
Web-based wiki
The first such system was created by
Ward Cunningham in 1995, but given the relative simplicity of the wiki concept,
a large number of implementations now exist, ranging from very simple "hacks" implementing only core functionality to highly sophisticated
content management systems. The primary difference between wikis and more
complex types of content management systems is that wiki software tends to focus
on the content, at the expense of the more powerful control over layout seen in
CMS software like
Drupal, WebGUI,
or at the expense of non-wiki features (articles, blogs,..) like in
TikiWiki.
"Wiki software" could be interpreted as comprising all of the software
required to run a wiki, which might include a
web server
such as
Apache, in addition to the Wiki engine itself, which implements the wiki
technology. In some cases, such as ProjectForum, or some
WikiServers,
the web server and wiki engine are bundled together as one self-contained
system, which can often make them easier to install.
The majority of engines are
open
source, often available under the
GNU General Public License (GPL); large projects such as TWiki and the
Wikipedia engine,
MediaWiki,
are developed collaboratively. Many wikis are highly modular, providing APIs
which allow programmers to develop new features without requiring them to be
familiar with the entire codebase.
It is hard to determine which wiki engines are the most popular, although a
list of lead candidates might include TWiki, MoinMoin, PmWiki, DokuWiki
and MediaWiki
(Google
trend history comparison). A list of some of those available is included
below, and another can be found at
Wiki:WikiEngines.
Personal wiki
Some wiki software is not intended for collaborative work, but for either
content management or for personal information organizing. This is sometimes
called a Desktop Wiki or a Personal Wiki.
See also
External links
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Wiki software
List of wikis
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