Wiki Wiki Web Faq
Wiki Wiki Web FaqNote to all wiki spammers: As of 1-2-2005 no changes to this wiki, either by editing or adding new pages, will be picked up by search engines until 10 hours have passed. All spam on this site is usually deleted in minutes, an hour at the most, so it is now pointless to try to add spam of any type to this wiki.
Q: What is wiki and how do wiki servers work?
A: Try starting with the WikiGettingStartedFaq if you're new to wiki.
Q: What other FAQs about wiki are available?
A: RunningYourOwnWikiFaq and WikiPhilosophyFaq.
Q: I would like to start a wiki where a collaborative story would be written. An earlier attempt was removed because the content was not related to software discussion. Where is the appropriate venue for my project?
A: See WikiFarms.
Q: I would like to do my Bachelor's thesis on the subject of wikis. Do you think wikis would lend themselves to a thesis? And do you know of anyone else who has written a thesis about wikis?
A: No, but wiki does change the game in lots of interesting ways. Check out some of the more speculative wiki pages here - ManaMana, UniversalMind and DramaticIdentity for example - and think about what could come next.
Q: Can one set one's WikiPreferences on this wiki, as one can on, say, MeatBall wiki?
A: Only your UserName.
Q: I'm using UseModWiki and I need to create a new WikiPage similar to WikiPage-Preferences. How do I do that? Do I need to add or change something in wiki source code? I do not understand this...
A: If it's just a normal WikiPage you want to add, then you don't need to modify any source. If you want to change the way the wiki works by adding a special page (like the preferences page), you will probably need to modify the source. You may get a more helpful response by asking this question on the UseModWiki site (and adding some details of what exactly you want to do).
Q: Why won't my wiki save anymore? It lets me edit but not save entries.
Could you be more specific? What kind of wiki are you running? What platform (OperatingSystem / WebServer)? Does it return an error message when you try to save, or fail silently?
We run on a unix machine. I don't get any error messages. I hit preview text and it takes me to a page that allows me to see what changes I made. Then I hit save changes and it takes me back to the original page. Anyone have any ideas what can cause this?
Please also specify precisely which wiki you are using under unix.
A: You may be seeing the old page cached by your browser, a proxy on your LAN or by your ISP. Try a forced refresh/reload. This is usually achieved by pressing Ctrl or Shift while clicking the refresh/reload button, check your browser's help file for more info.
B: 'Possible Errors with PHP' - A wiki running on PHP for example can cause trouble if a possibly old wiki software hasn't been ported to a newer php version. In case the wiki is based on PHP, check if your "globals" setting in the php.ini is switched "OFF" and the wiki software is not using the new recommendations. Read the documentation at http://www.php.net/manual/en/security.globals.php
Q: How do I get my pages picked up by search engines? There's little use in being a community resource if the wider world can't discover the community. I don't want my wiki to remain an island.
A: For search engines like Google the best way to be picked up is for other sites to link to you (the more outside links you have, the more likely you will be indexed). If your site is well linked and (more importantly) linked from the outside world you will be indexed eventually. You can also submit a central page by hand to most search engines. You can prevent indexing of particular pages by using a robots.txt or certain HTML tags.
Technical curiosities
Q: What stops any old idiot from wandering by and erasing or defacing all of your entries? Don't you have any password protection at all?
A: See WikiWipeout (and WhyWikiWorks and WhyNobodyDeletesWiki). Basically, nothing stops anyone from defacing the Wiki. It doesn't happen anyway. No, there's no password protection. Some defacement occurs on a page-by-page basis, but it's immediately corrected by the community, thanks to RecentChanges.
Q: How do I reduce the risk of creating an OrphanPage?
A: Never use more than one uppercase in series when forming a new WikiName directly on the command line, just as I did, when I first factored this "WikiWikiWebFAQ" out of WikiWikiWeb.
Q: So what happens if two of us try to edit the same page simultaneously?
A: The first save wins. Conflicting saves are notified. See EditConflictResolution.
Q: What happens to the old version when you save over it? Do we have versioning?
A: The previous version saved from a different address is available under EditCopy. You may find other recent versions by replacing "cgi/wiki?" in the location box with "wiki/history/".
Q: Can the above substitution be done with a BookMarklet?
A: Yes, very easily - a slight change to QuickDiffBookmarklet will do the trick.
Q: Why is it that when I check QuickDiff, sometimes the resulting page is empty?
A: If the contributor just changed in-line spacing (adding or removing spaces to one or more lines), the QuickDiff will show an empty page.
Also, if the contributor makes a change then undoes that change, the diff will show "no change" - an empty page.
Q: Why do some people's name appear next to the topic in RecentChanges where others just show the number or server they are on?
A: Changes will appear according to the IP address they were logged from, unless the person making changes goes to UserName first and uses that script to set a cookie in their browser.
Q: Why are IP addresses sometimes name-reversed in RecentChanges, and sometimes not?
A: If someone has entered their UserName via http://c2.com/cgi/wikiOptions, then RecentChanges shows that username. Otherwise it shows the IP address.
Oh, you're really talking about ip67-153-232-122.z232-153-67.customer.algx.net vs. 129.6.77.126, right? The former is a valid domain name; algx.net have chosen to use this naming convention for their customers' addresses. The latter is an IP address that the wiki server couldn't find a name for.
Q. Why does the quickDiff of RandomPages always show the same 'previous' version?
A. A guess: it's because (a) RandomPages is generated by a script, and (b) Wiki treats consecutive changes from a single user as one change. From quickDiff's perspective, only one user has been changing the page, so it diffs the current version against the last time someone saved the page manually.
Q: Why not store every previous version like some systems do?
A: The reasons are mostly philosophical. See WhyWikiWorks and WikiNow.
Q: How do I write scripts to process a specific WikiWikiWeb page so as to monitor changes to BackLinks? I have little Web design experience and none in Perl.
A: Short answer is don't. Writing scripts to play with Wiki is normally bad form due to the processing and bandwidth they take up. This is especially true for something monitoring backlinks. Easiest solution would probably involve using curl and diff. Remember that backlinks are only updated on a daily basis, so don't hammer the wiki. (2004/03/05)
Q: I have created/changed a few pages while at Wiki. Is there a good way to ask Wiki to list the pages I have created, changed or deleted during a given day? If this is possible, then I have a way to see whether there have been progress in the discussion on pages I have made remarks.
A: Your options are to either:
Q: I need to resurrect a change made in February for ActiveServerPages. Now it is March and my understanding is .../History no longer has a copy stored. Is there an easy way for me to find a previous month saved version?
A: Try using the WaybackMachine, or do a Google search for the page and hope that the Google cache is out of date enough for your needs. Also, check whether your browser's cache holds a copy.
Q: Sometimes I see references in square brackets with no link (e.g., [1]). What does that mean?
A1: That's the old style of external link which is no longer supported because it wasn't JavaScript safe. Please practice RefactoringWikiPages when you find this; see FixingLinks for the specifics of what to do when you run across numbered (non)links.
A2: Or it may mean that people unaware of old wiki styles are incorporating a reference to a numbered footnote below in the document (in lieu of a PageAnchor).
Q: Wiki contributors can insert GIF/JPEG images only by mentioning a URL. What if I want to insert a picture that comes from my computer and not from the net?
A: Upload it to the net. There are many sites which allow users to store their own Web pages, image collections, etc.
If that sounds like overkill, it's certainly not out of the question to ask the Wiki administrator nicely to store the image on the Wiki server for you.
Q: Why don't the pages on the C2 wiki validate with http://validator.w3.org/? I think it would be really simple to modify the template/CGI OnceAndOnlyOnce to add <html> to the beginning, </html> to the end ... or perhaps <?xml> at the beginning, <?xml> at the end.
A: My guess (speaking as someone who doesn't run this site) is that Wiki's invalid HTML isn't a big enough problem to deserve the site creator's attention. (Those who use OperaBrowser may disagree.)
Q: Is there a stand-alone tool version of the text formatter that I could use off-line in order to check the page presentation before posting it?
A: One solution is to install your own Web server and wiki on your own machine. The computer needn't be connected to the 'net for you to use this. Also, some WikiEngines have a preview feature; this one doesn't.
Q: I'd like to print all the pages I've worked on. They're linked in a tree-structure. Do I have to do that one page at the time or is there a faster way possible?
A: There are programmatical solutions, but none that are implemented as features of this wiki.
Q: When I hit Edit Page, the edit box is empty even though the page is full of text. Why?
A: With some browsers, if there is too much text (over 32K characters), the text is shown, but cannot be added to, and may not even be complete. For still larger amounts of text, the box is shown empty. Try a different browser (like MozillaBrowser, MozillaFirefox, GaleonBrowser, or OperaBrowser).
Q: In IE6 with a specific Wiki engine, my text vanishes and reappears sporadically. Why?
A: With IE6 and that particular Wiki engine (I don't know how to find out which Wiki is being used), this is caused by the page separator or horizontal line (i.e. ----). Haven't found the workaround yet. Will update if so.
Wiki History
Q: Is this really the very first wiki of all the wikis in the world, as your homepage says?
A: Yes, see WikiHistory.
Q: Where do the economic resources come from to keep Wiki going?
A: From WardCunningham, the inventor of Wiki, who runs it on his own server.
Q: Did I dream this, or what? I seem to remember Ward saying that he'd seen a cab in Hawaii that was from the Wiki Wiki Cab company. Did I make that up?
A: It was the bus at the airport. It is called the "WikiWikiBus". I've seen it, too.
Q: What does the word 'wiki' mean, where does it come from, how is it pronounced, and is it trademarked?
A: Wiki wiki is Hawaiian for "quick" and it's pronounced wee-kee. See WikiWiki for more. [In an interview linked in WikiMania, Ward seems to pronounce Wiki "wicky".]
See also WikiHistory, EtymologyOfWiki.
Uncategorized
Q: Why doesn't the RecentChanges page list the most recent changes on top?
A: That's how it has always worked. QuickChanges lists changes at the top.
Q: I'm finding it incredibly difficult/confusing to find a 'home' for a Wiki entry I want to make (a FAQ that everyone can edit). Should it live on this server? What servers accept FAQs on this or any topic?
A1: If it's OpenSource, it's software related. Try it here, and see what reaction you get.
A2: Or try creating your own wiki or joining one of the WikiFarms.
Q: Why should I vote (on a WikiPage, that is). What function does voting serve?
A: There is no official function that voting serves. Voting is entirely voluntary and unofficial. It is a quick way to gauge people's ideas without wasting a lot of time and space on a discussion in ThreadMode.
Q: Is Wiki at all organized by category, or topic?
A: Many of the pages here are attached to one or more WikiCategories, and the categories can be a good way to start browsing around. Be aware, though, that many pages here are not categorized - if you let yourself simply wander you'll be pleasantly surprised. But if you want to take a look at all the categories, go first to CategoryCategory, and click on the title to see all the categories.
Q: Can/should cussing be removed? -- See H e DoubleHockeySticks.
A: All writing here should be continually shortened and improved. Removing vulgarities and DeleteInsults almost always has this effect.
Q: OK, so I think I like the idea of wiki - but is there an intrinsic reason why they have to be so ugly?
A: I should think that one could use a respectable style sheet or something.
A2: This particular wiki values content over form. Read the WikiDesignPrinciples.
A3: No, other wikis such as MediaWiki do put a higher value on the presentation to the casual reader.
Q: Could someone place a virus on page via the links?
A1: A page contains text only - it could be source code for a virus, but so what?
A2: Non-Wiki links (also known as ExternalLinks?) show the full URL, and there is no HTML or JavaScript, so you should be safe as long as you look before you click.
Q: Where can I find a specification for wiki so I can write my own implementation?
A: There is no formal wiki specification. The many WikiWikiClones have different features, and their own version of the TextFormattingRules. You might like to have a look at WikiDesignPrinciples, and WikiEngines.
Q: Where can I download this wiki?
A: You can't. See WikiDownload.
Q: How do I install a wiki on my site?
A: Start from WikiWikiClone and follow some of the links there. Choose one of the WikiEngines, download it, and go from there. See RunningYourOwnWikiFaq.
Q: In the spirit of OnceAndOnlyOnce, I set my UseModWiki to link to this Wiki on unknown keywords. I could do one better if there were a quick index of every single symbol, that I could download EveryNightAtMidnight.
A: If by "symbols" you mean WikiPages, you could download http://c2.com/cgi/wikiNames. It's updated daily.
Q: Can a wiki page point to a wiki page on another server? If not, why not? If so, how?
A: Each wiki page has a distinct URL. Copy the URL for one page and paste it into the text of the other. Various shorthands have been concocted; see InterWiki, SisterSites.
Q: How do I make my own WikiWiki Web site?
A: See RunningYourOwnWikiFaq.
Q: Are there any wikis that use color (or font style) to distinguish the different speakers? I find it confusing to figure out who wrote what since anyone can change anything.
A: This might not be what you are looking for, but the diff-function of the software that runs the German Wikipedia (http://de.wikipedia.com) does something like this.
Q: Ward, does it annoy you that people have taken the wiki concept and charged companies lots of money for implementations of it?
A: No, it does not.
Q: Can someone, please, tell me if it is possible to LINK to a header within a page. I'm not sure how to properly describe this, but, I want to create links that will jump to whatever Header I tell them to, from anywhere within the document, not just from a <tableOfContents>.
A: You can link to a PageAnchor in plain HTML, but NotOnThisWiki. Unless, of course, you're on a wiki which supports HTML, which this one doesn't, or using EddiesWiki (which features such links). Philosophically, this wiki encourages smaller pages that are to the point whereas PageAnchors enable long rambling pages.
To accomplish this in HTML, you code <a name="place"></a> somewhere, and use <a href="#place">jump there</a> to produce the link you can click on.
Q: Can the text in a WikiLink be formatted? For example, I want to use a HEADER to point to a new page.
A: NotOnThisWiki. Only as bold, italic, etc., as for other text.
Q: Is it possible to upload files into a wiki page? I assume this would be specific to a particular wiki implementation.
A: NotOnThisWiki, although links to GIF/JPEG images on other sites will be inlined.
Q: Are there wiki systems that are capable of managing file uploads?
A: Yes - Twiki, MoinMoin, SpinnerWiki and Swiki (Squeak Wiki), for example.
Q: Is there any way of seeing all the pages that link to a particular page? This would aid backward / sideways navigation. I can see pages that the current page refers to but it would be useful to see all the pages that refer to the current page.
A: Click on the page title for a list of pages that link to the current page (BackLinks). The search invoked is of this wiki only (not SisterSites); recently added references may be missed.
Depending on your browser settings, BackLinks might not work. In that case, replace "wiki?" with "fullSearch?search=" in the URL and press enter. If this is inconvenient, you may be able to use a BookMarklet.
Q: I need a facility that can add inline comments to HTML pages. I guess I can sort of do this, but I'd like it to look similar to http://www.zope.org/Documentation/Books/ZopeBook/current/IntroducingZope.stx Can anybody give me some pointers on how to do this (with or without wiki).
A: Perhaps what you see is one of the WikiLikeThings.
Q: How can I find other wiki sites?
A: See http://www.worldwidewiki.net/wiki/OneBigWiki or CategoryWikiForum.
Q: Wiki and the OperaBrowser (v7) don't seem to be compatible - is this the case? I can only see some screens if I use InternetExplorer instead of Opera.
A: Some WikiWikiWeb/Opera problems are noted on OperaBrowser.
Q: Did anybody ever try to compare all or the most important WikiClones on a feature-by-feature basis? I'm wondering which clone could be the best one for my purposes.
A: There is no definitive list, but these pages might help you:
Q: 2 days ago, I bought TheWikiWay and, after some installing problems, I began to love it. However I cannot overcome the page link problem, i.e. I do need FreeLinks. How do I make links of any sign, eg #, or A, etc.? I tried to install UseModWiki, but only want (at this stage) to use wiki locally.
A: If you're familiar with PerlLanguage, it should be reasonably easy to modify the wiki scripts to allow FreeLinks. Try examining how $linkWord, $linkSplit, and $LinkPattern are used.
Q: Which timezone is the WikiWikiWeb server in? This would help us figure out when NightlyUpdates? are done.
A: (GMT - 08:00) Pacific (US & Canada); Tijuana
Q: What are those funky images at the bottom of some pages? (Meatball, Why2k, etc.)
A: These provide links when a page with the same name exists on one of this wiki's SisterSites.
I am confused by the fact that on some pages there are additional graphics linking to SisterSites. Sometimes the content of the link is identical, other times different. It appear that this is an implementation of the InterWiki here where identical WikiPageName?s exist.
Q1: How is a sister site different from a WikiSite, listed in the PublicWikiForums, that use a WikiEngine nearly identical to WardsWiki? And how does it create a page here that links to another page at an existing SisterSite?
A:Wiki's SisterSites are chosen by Ward. The links to them indicate exact pagename matches - anything more is coincidence. Pages with SisterSite links are created like any other page; the SisterSite links are added automatically.
Q2: Are there new SisterSites being planned, and is there a process for a wiki site to apply to become a SisterSite? It would be good to have some of the pages hop to a corresponding SisterSite page that will host the actual content.
A: Apparently not. See Ward's homepage.
Q3: Some SisterSite pages have a login button. It appear that these pages can be modified only by authorized persons. How does one go about creating such pages on sister sites?
A: Such sites are not yet ready for unrestricted access. Email the administrator for access.
Q: Why is Wiki always written with a capital W?
A: "Wiki" (with a W) is shorthand for the WikiWikiWeb (aka WardsWiki), i.e. this site. "wiki" (with a w) means "a site that operates along the same principles as Wiki", probably running one of the WikiWikiClones. See WikiHasManyMeanings for more on when to capitalize "wiki".
Q: Is there a downloadable complete documentation for Wiki (.pdf, .doc, .txt)?
A: Not for this WikiEngine. Maybe Ward will add it to the WikiMirrors if you ask him nicely.
Q: Any plans to consolidate the content here with http://www.wikipedia.org?
A: No. Different wikis have different objectives. This one started as a repository for patterns and their language, has branched out into programming, managing programming, and things programmers like and can draws lessons from or analogies to. The WikiPedia has a different objective, and it is unlikely that they will deliberately be merged.
Q: Can anybody point the way to a clear explanation of the Wiki naming conventions that will account for the fact that many pages out there now display Wiki names with spaces? How does that work? And how does a language such as German, for example, cope with the mixed case requirement? This is a crucial issue for me, because I have long wanted to proselytize for the use of Wikis among my peers in the language teaching community, both for their use and their students, but the violence done to some of the basic elements of human language is a hell of a deterrent... BcArmstrong?
A: The spaces can be inserted when the page is rendered into HTML. You would still write them in WikiCase. However, some WikiImplementations use a different convention for creating links - for example double square brackets around the link text (FreeLinks).
Q: What does it mean, that this wiki and all the clones are underlying the gnu public license and the open source license, that every enterprise, can download the code and set up its own wiki, or is there nevertheless any charge to pay?
A: Many WikiEngines are OpenSource and/or licensed under the GnuGeneralPublicLicense, but some are not. You'll have to check the license of the wiki you're interested in.
Q: Are recent changes and recent visitors scripts, which are executed when somebody wants to open the page?
A: On this wiki, RecentChanges is an editable page updated by a script whenever a page is saved. On many other wikis, it is just a script. RecentVisitors is a normal page (since a script wouldn't know what to put there).
Q: I tried applying GoodStyleSuggestions to the FrontPage; however, it was quickly reverted. Is it a faux pas to change that page?
A: Not really, but the FrontPage has been stable for so long that any change may be seen as either experimentation at best or vandalism at worst. Perhaps a more gradual approach to improving FrontPage would succeed.
Q: You know, this c2 wiki is so famous, but it's not very useful... Hardly any of the pattern discussions offer implementation details. It's just rhetoric from a bunch of people who I doubt do much software development, more just writing books and acting like authorities on the subject. Is this some type of ego trip for you people?
A1: It's assumed that readers are smart enough to either implement the pattern themselves, or to LookItUp?. For that reason, discussion tends to focus on other aspects of patterns.
If you have a problem implementing a specific pattern, just ask - but please read HowToAskQuestionsTheSmartWay first.
A2: Implementation details tend to be specific to the development environment in use. For example, implementing the ObserverPattern has different BestPractice in JavaLanguage vs DelphiLanguage vs CsharpLanguage vs SmallTalk etc etc etc. Keeping the discussions generic (where appropriate) is more inclusive - more people can contribute. If you want to foster a discussion focusing on a particular platform, feel free to create a new page (eg JavaObserver?) and get the ball rolling.
Q: Do two separate wikis ever merge together to create one new wiki? Has this happened before? Keep in mind that I don't just mean two different pages within a wiki. (And for that matter, where is an appropriate page where I can post questions about the history of all wikis, not just this one?)
A1: I don't know of any such wiki merge, nor of any discussion of the history of all wikis. Such a discussion should probably reside (if created) on MeatballWiki.
A2: At least one wiki has merged, and a couple more are currently considering merging. Discussion is already occurring at http://CommunityWiki.org/2005-03-16.
Q: Is this Wiki now blocking IPs? Apparently, I only get back "Forbidden You don't have permission to access /cgi/wiki on this server." when accessing it from my AOL account (currently 172.180.xxx.xxx), while it works fine when I access with an anonymizer in between.
A: See MoreAboutWikiAccess.
Q: I would like to create a link to a MS Word or MS Excel document from within Wiki that opens in a new window automatically. I know that I can hit Shift while clicking, but is there a way to force a new window without Shift?
A: NotOnThisWiki.
Q: Wiki Confluence: How do you get a link to open in a new window please?
A: Right-click on the link. Select 'Open in New Window'. If you're asking how to make the link do this automatically, the answer is: NotOnThisWiki.
Q1: I was wondering if there was more documentation on how to use mailto with wiki? I'm trying to get a prefilled email generated but can't seem to find anything on this. Please assist.
A1: Does this work? mailto:you@place.com?subject=test&body=does%20this%20work%3f.
Q2: Yes it does work, but is there any way to hide the content after ? so as to only have a one word link, or even email address that one will click on? Thanks for the assistance.
A2: NotOnThisWiki. Other wikis allow FreeLinks which specify both the HREF/WikiName and text content of a link.
Q: What's your take on the commercialization of wikis (either by contributors or by those wanting to start a wiki)?
A: Ward answered this question above; he has no problem with it.
Q: Is it possible to display a word that is in WikiWord format but that doesn't create a new link? For example, if I want to refer in my text to a product that is in WikiWord format but I don't want to link to anything, such as OpenOffice.org?
A: Yes, using SixSingleQuotes you can disable a WikiWord. Example: OpenOffice.org
Q: Is it possible for the people who don't know about programming to make their own wiki?
A: Unlikely, but it would make a good learning project! You can set up your own wiki on one of the public WikiFarms, however.
Q: Is it possible to use different color or font size when editing the page?
A: NotOnThisWiki. Only your default two fonts (standard and fixed-width) each with emphasis or strong faces are available. See WikiDesignPrinciples for the reasons why.
Q: Is it possible to export/migrate entire wiki formats (pdf, xml, html, raw) from one WikiEngine to another?
A: Generally, pages need to be translated when being transferred from one WikiEngine to another, because their TextFormattingRules aren't the same.
Q: Are CamelCase and InterWiki different types of linking? I see that InterWiki implements CamelCase, but where CamelCase can be supported by some Wiki engines and softwares, InterWiki isn't for those same ones. Is CamelCase implemented in other methods or serve a different purpose for each engine?
A: Different wikis implement linking in different ways. Some use CamelCase words, some [[brackets]] or {{braces}}, and so on. The WikiWikiWeb turns CamelCase words into links to other WikiWikiWeb pages. The WikiWikiWeb doesn't support InterWiki links.
Pedantic answer: CamelCase isn't a link, it's the pattern this wiki uses to make a link. A wiki could in theory use anything as its LinkPattern (e.g., alternating consonants and vowels, making 'joke' a link); the WikiWikiWeb uses CamelCase (strictly speaking, WikiCase).
Q: What is raw wiki text and some examples of it? Is it viewable by most wiki engines and softwares?
A: Raw wiki text is what you see when you press the EditPage link at the bottom of a page. It's how the page is stored on the wiki's server, and it's what you edit. To see this page's raw wiki text, scroll to the bottom of the page and click the EditPage link.
TextFormattingRules vary from WikiEngine to WikiEngine. Wiki pages generally can't easily be transferred between wikis unless they run the same WikiEngine.
Q: In regards to file storage: I have read various articles indicating databases are the preferred method of storage for large multiuser applications. Why? Are they faster than other methods of storage? What are the differences between files, RCS, and databases? And are there differences involved in maintaining the servers between each one?
A1: Database management systems are the preferred method of storage for large multiuser applications because they typically offer expressive QueryLanguages and guarantees of reliability, predictable performance, security, atomicity of multiple updates, concurrency control, and accessibility from multiple applications, ProgrammingLanguages and platforms. Achieving all of these on top of a FileSystem would essentially involve creating a database management system. RCS is a database management system designed specifically for storage and concurrent management of multiple versions of source code and similar (typically text) documents. For more information, see DatabaseDefinition, then explore CategoryDatabase and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Database. Also see RevisionControlSystem.
A2: General-purpose database management systems are usually faster than RCS. Databases are typically faster than trivial file implementations, but will usually be slower than file access that has been optimised to meet the given requirements. RCS and other revision control systems track changes to files, so you can retrieve old versions if necessary. You can also set up a database to track changes. Files are simplest to maintain; RCS adds another layer of complexity; using databases requires knowledge of data modelling, database management, and possibly database tuning.
Q: How can I create a new template for my wiki page? Is it very dificult?
A: There's no need to create a "template" for a page. Are you asking how to CreateNewPage?
Q: I want to know if it's possible to customize my wiki. Put a logo, different fonts, sizes, colors, banners, etc.
A: Yes, but you'd better have a fast machine and a good knowledge of what you're doing. If minimal changes will satisfy you, try implementing a WikiStyle.
Q: Is this correct: The Wiki software operates the database and sends the client the wiki-page? Or is this correct: The Wiki software operates the database management software which operates the database? The main question is: Is there a database management software inbetween the wiki software and the database?
A1: If the Wiki software you're using is based on some SQL, relational, version control, or table-oriented database, it's almost certain to be interfaced with separate database management software (e.g., MySql, PostgreSql, Oracle, MS SQL Server, DB2, FireBird, etc.) or a separate version control system (e.g., SVN) or a library of routines (e.g., Berkeley DB) that manipulate the database. If the Wiki software you're using directly employs a collection of files as its "database", then there is almost certainly no distinct database management software involved.
should be merged with ...
A2: ItDepends, but actually I think your question indicates a level of confusion. Some wikis store their data in flat files, some store their data in a single flat file, some store their data in a relational database, and some store their data in a database of their own making. The essence is that the page data exists, can be read, and can be written. Well designed software abstracts away the question of how that happens, and different wikis do it in different ways. Mostly, then, a wiki gets a request for a page, retrieves the data, renders it into HTML and spits it back.
Does that answer your question?
Yes, that answers my question. I am currently writing my diploma thesis and I read some books, but not a single one gave me such a good answer like you guys. Thank you very much!!
Q: Is there any means to prevent people from just lashing out with hatred or foul language??
A: That is the beauty of Wiki, because every WikiCitizen wields the power of the mighty "edit-and-delete", so such outbursts are short lived. If the individual does not calm-down and settle-in, then they are IP banned. Such an individual can not do much harm, as there are extensive backups of all pages and reverting to an earlier version only takes a few mouse-clicks.
Q: Not so much a question as a problem. I have started to use PpcSoftiKnow (no I didn't name the page) and when it saves hyperlinks it puts them all into lower case. This means that
http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?RecentChanges
changes to
http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?recentchanges
which doesn't work. This is because of the CaseSensitivity of the cgi data, whereas the rest of http is CaseInsensitive.
I am putting this here as I cannot find anywere else on WikiWiki where this is mentioned.
-- JohnFletcher
I doubt anyone thought to mention it (until now). The CaseSensitivity of UNIX environments and their derivatives (e.g., Linux, which this site runs on) and the languages that grew up on them (e.g., Perl, which this Wiki uses) is generally assumed. Likewise, the case insensitivity of Windows environments is generally taken as given. This affects Web-based applications; those hosted on UNIX/Linux servers are somewhat more likely to be CaseSensitive, those hosted on Windows servers somewhat less likely to be CaseSensitive. Problems sometimes occur when the twain, as it were, meet.
Obviously, for this reason, case should be preserved wherever possible. This is clearly a flaw in iKnow.
The problem is the assumption made about the content of hyperlinks, which often are CaseInsensitive and this is a case where the CaseSensitivity matters. I have contacted PpcSoft? but the problem is more general than just them. I can report that they have responded with a beta release which fixes the problem. -- JohnFletcher
Most Web developers assume arbitrary links can be CaseSensitive and always preserve case when manipulating or storing them. I've seen this naively violated by some beginning developers, and deliberately on more than one occasion by a developer attempting to make an anti-UNIX or anti case-sensitivity statement, which strikes me as cutting off one's nose to spite one's face.
Q: What are the advantages of writing a wiki webpage over writing one in javascript? Aren't they equally fast?
A: Writing a page in Javascript, or even in HTML, requires considerable technical knowledge. The WikiMarkup is simple and can be learned and applied much more quickly than Javascript or HTML.
Q: What system was Wiki originally developed upon?
A: As already mentioned, Linux.
Q: What all architectural patterns can be listed from wiki ?
A: See answer on WikiGettingStartedFaq.
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