Review of UseMod wiki, version 0.88
I recognize the timing of this may be silly with 0.90 released for testing -- I wanted to get this done, then we (someone) can deal with the changes for 0.90
Aside: MeatballWiki is the largest wiki using this engine, but is using a slightly older version which does not support some features, including some of the enhanced WikiNames and
General Notes
Adding Attributes
Please use the same attributes and the same sequence of attributes in each review. If you add an attribute to one review, please consider adding it at the same location in each review, the WikiEngineReviewTemplate and the WikiEngineReviewTemplateAnnotated.
Reviews of New Releases
Please maintain separate reviews for each version of each WikiEngine. The intent is to maintain reviews of old versions of software that might still be in use on a WikiFarm or on a specific WikiSite. See WikiEngineReviewNewRelease for the recommended approach.
Notes
See WikiEngineReview, WikiEngineReviewNotes, and WikiEngineReviewTemplateAnnotated for notes and discussion about these reviews and wikis in general.
General
- Date of Review: December 16, 2000
- WikiEngine and Version Reviewed: UseMod wiki (UseModWiki) version 0.88
- WikiEngine Author: Clifford Adams
- Review Summary: UseMod wiki doesn't have the features I'm looking for to unseat TWiki as my current frontrunning candidate. This is somewhat unfair to UseMod, so I will reconsider how to write this summary, or possibly just delete it (leave it blank).
- Review Quality: First draft, some things tested back in November, some things not tested. It's probably soon time for me to "bite the bullet" and actually install a wiki.
- Standard Features Missing (see WikiEngineReviewStandardFeatures): None
Software
- Server OS: Linux or Windows (has successfully run under FreeBSD as well)
- Language: Perl (and the CGI.pm and CGI::Carp)
- Database: Plain text file ("using a hierarchy of tables")
- Required Software: Apache, Perl (with cgi.pm)
- Installation Difficulty: Sounds rather easy (assuming you have Apache and Perl installed). Instructions are available, see http://www.usemod.com/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?UseModWiki/Install.
- License: GPL
WikiFarms
Content
- Display WardsWiki text? Some stuff handled fairly well (multiple single quote emphasis, except for six), but not lists (UseMod uses a different markup). See http://www.usemod.com/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?WikiEngineReviewTextFormattingTest.
- Text formatting rules: See http://www.usemod.com/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?TextFormattingRules.
- Headings? No, but can be simulated using emphasis (italic, bold), and presumably can be done in HTML if enabled.
- Allowable WikiNames: Original, plus numbers, adjacent capitals, underbars, and most foreign language characters. (Almost anything within square brackets.)
- Subpages? Yes, one level, with syntax <MainPageName?>/<SubPageName?>, "which allow every page to act like a separate wiki"
- Max Page Size: Unlimited, except by browser limitations.
- Tables? No (except by using HTML, which is disabled by default).
- Images? Yes
- Attachments? No
- Editing Contention Resolution: Yes. First to save wins, second to save is notified (pretty much like the original WikiWikiWeb).
Readability
- Search capabilities: Words (and regular expressions) within the title or text of pages. No phrases, boolean, or within x.
- Email notification: Yes, apparently a configuration option. As I understand it, an editor can choose to send a change notice to all subscribers -- subscribers sign up for changes to the entire wiki, not to individual pages.
- Diffs: Yes, displayed like "Added: 20a21,22" with the text of the change.
Security
- Embedded HTML (risky): Yes, but disabled by default.
- Password protection? No. (There are userids and passwords, but they are used to recognize the same author working from different IP addresses.)
- Delete Pages? Not explicitly -- two people editing the page in succession can make the page (and revision snapshot) disappear, like the original WikiWikiWeb.
- Revision Snapshots? Yes, last edit by previous author
- Rollback: Yes, anyone can edit and save the last edit by previous author
- Delete Snapshots? Not explicitly -- two people editing the page in succession can make a snapshot disappear, like the original WikiWikiWeb.
Working Well with Others
- Static or dynamic web pages: Dynamic
- Indexed by search engines? Meatball is indexed by Google, I'm not clear on what Google (or Meatball) had to do to get indexed.
- InterWiki Links? Yes, in syntax like <WikiSite>:<WikiPage>, administrator must define links to WikiSites.
- Import / Export Features: "Pages are stored in ordinary files, allowing simple renaming, deletion, and backups." -- http://www.usemod.com/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?UseModWiki/Features
- Translators to/from other Wikis? None found
Miscellaneous
- Extra Features: There is a place to add a comment describing an edit, the comment appears in the recent changes list.
- References:
- Browsers Used: (See WikiEngineReviewBrowsersUsed for abbreviations)
- IE5_rhk -- no problems noted
- Comments by Users:
Originator / Author, Maintainer, Contributors
- Originator / Author: -- RandyKramer
- Contributors: <add your Wiki name, move this to next line>
CategoryWikiEngineReview
Wiki Engine Review Use Mod Zero Eight Eight