From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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 software engine 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.

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, and Joomla! or at the expense of non-wiki features (news articles, blogs,..) like those 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.

Main article: 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.

Mobile wiki software is an extension of web-based wikis optimized for mobile devices, especially mobile phones. It provides the same basic functionalities of web-based wikis. The main difference is that it allows offline editing and reading of content, with an Over The Air (OTA) synchronization of the changes when a wireless connection becomes available.

• List of wiki software
• Comparison of wiki software - feature-table comparison of common wiki software
• List of collaborative software
• Comparison of wiki farms - servers that provide hosting for wiki websites
• List of wikis - websites using wiki software, organized by topic

Wikibooks' Wiki Science has more about this subject:

How to start a Wiki

• WikiMatrix: Comparing Multiple Wiki Engines Side-by-Side
• Comparison of different wiki software (Article, November 2004)
• ITerating: Wiki Engines Comparison
• How to choose a Wiki
• Extensive list of wiki software
• Wikitext standard — Meta discussion on a proposed standard wikitext format