WikiWikiWeb
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The WikiWikiWeb

Wiki is a piece of server software that allows users to freely create and edit Web page content using any Web browser. Wiki supports hyperlinks and has a simple text syntax for creating new pages and crosslinks between internal pages on the fly.Wiki is unusual among group communication mechanisms in that it allows the organization of contributions to be edited in addition to the content itself.

Like many simple concepts, "open editing" has some profound and subtle effects on Wiki usage. Allowing everyday users to create and edit any page in a Web site is exciting in that it encourages democratic use of the Web and promotes content composition by nontechnical users. The first ever wiki site was created for the Portland Pattern Repository in 1995. That site now hosts tens of thousands of pages.

Task

Visit the Wiki page among others and learn more about Wiki. According to the author of an article in LinuxFormat in April 2003 - the easiest way to become involved with Wiki is through EddiesWiki. This is an 85K download complete with HTTP server and no other requirements. Basically zip and go. EddiesWiki is postcardware and uses a flat file system for storing pages so is only suitable for small projects. It's fine for personal wikiservers and UU projects.

Your mission, should you accept it - is to create a Wiki server and pages. Ideally you would get fellow students to become involved and demonstrate everyday uses and outcomes of using the WikiWikiWeb.there is a real life Wiki educational example at Garforth College. I suggest you use this as a template and develop a similar system for the University of Ulster.

Further Information available at
Guardian Article
SeeWiki
WikiEngines
Wikipedia
TinyWiki
Welcome to Wiki
WikiHistory
Design Principles