Difference between revisions of "Talk:Timeline of wikis"
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| + | == Review by Vipul on 2024-10-04 == | ||
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| + | === Standalone evaluation === | ||
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| + | * Overall, the timeline does a great job of covering the launch of wikis. The only relatively famous wiki that I didn't see covered was {{w|Scholarpedia}}. | ||
| + | * It would be good to add a column for the entity running the wiki or software. That will allow us to separate Wikimedia Foundation, Fandom, and others. | ||
| + | * The timeline could also benefit from more coverage of the relative importance of editing versus viewing. The ratio of viewers to editors could be one metric here. For instance, Wikipedia is at the extreme where it has a lot of viewers but very few of them are editors. For more niche wikis, including in-house wikis, editors may have a significant fraction of viewers. It's probably hard to get reliable comparative data, but it would be good to add at least some coverage here. | ||
| + | * Similarly, it would be good to get coverage of some of the philosophical debates and how different wikis have navigated them. Issues such as inclusionism versus deletionism, mergism versus separatism, neutrality versus opinion, etc. | ||
| + | * It would also be good to capture more of the picture of what topics wikis have been more or less successful in. My anecdotal impression is that Fandom has basically nailed the process of creating wikis on specific TV shows and movies, and that these wikis tend to be about as good as you can reasonably expect. On the other hand, for advanced scientific/technical topics, there hasn't been that much success for niche wikis (in terms of depth and brand recognition) and curated/authored websites continue to dominate. What is it about pop culture that makes it more wikiable? These are some questions that may not be directly answered in the wiki, but events in the wiki may help shed light on what's going on. | ||
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== Extended timeline == | == Extended timeline == | ||
Revision as of 21:50, 4 October 2024
Contents
Review by Vipul on 2024-10-04
Standalone evaluation
- Overall, the timeline does a great job of covering the launch of wikis. The only relatively famous wiki that I didn't see covered was Scholarpedia.
- It would be good to add a column for the entity running the wiki or software. That will allow us to separate Wikimedia Foundation, Fandom, and others.
- The timeline could also benefit from more coverage of the relative importance of editing versus viewing. The ratio of viewers to editors could be one metric here. For instance, Wikipedia is at the extreme where it has a lot of viewers but very few of them are editors. For more niche wikis, including in-house wikis, editors may have a significant fraction of viewers. It's probably hard to get reliable comparative data, but it would be good to add at least some coverage here.
- Similarly, it would be good to get coverage of some of the philosophical debates and how different wikis have navigated them. Issues such as inclusionism versus deletionism, mergism versus separatism, neutrality versus opinion, etc.
- It would also be good to capture more of the picture of what topics wikis have been more or less successful in. My anecdotal impression is that Fandom has basically nailed the process of creating wikis on specific TV shows and movies, and that these wikis tend to be about as good as you can reasonably expect. On the other hand, for advanced scientific/technical topics, there hasn't been that much success for niche wikis (in terms of depth and brand recognition) and curated/authored websites continue to dominate. What is it about pop culture that makes it more wikiable? These are some questions that may not be directly answered in the wiki, but events in the wiki may help shed light on what's going on.
Extended timeline
Full timeline
| Year | Month and date | Event type | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Wiki launch | CvWiki, one of the early wiki clones, is developed by Peter Merel. It introduces transclusion, backlinks, and "WayBackMode," setting a standard for future wiki applications. | |
| 1997 | JWiki, the first implementation of WikiWikiWeb in the Java language, is released by Ricardo Clements. It is notable for being back-ended by a database. | ||
| 1999 | Wiki development | PikiPiki, a rewrite of WikiWikiWeb in Python by Martin Pool, is introduced. It aims to be a small program using flat files, excluding versioning features. | |
| 1999 | Wiki development | Swiki, developed by Mark Guzdial and Jochen Rick, is written in Squeak. Swiki would contribute to the evolution of wiki engines. | |
| 1999 | Development | UseModWiki, developed by Clifford Adams, introduced the square bracket syntax for linking words. It was a significant advancement from AtisWiki and CvWiki. | |
| 1999 | Controversy | User Sam Gentile begins removing his contributions from WikiWikiWeb, leading to controversy over the removal of content and the "WikiMindWipe" incident. | |
| 2000 | April | Controversy | Four users attempt to reduce text related to wikis on WikiWikiWeb, leading to disputes and eventually the formation of WikiWikiWeb sister sites. The formation of sister sites such as MeatballWiki, WhyClublet, GreenCheeseWiki, and TheAdjunct would handle off-topic and specialized content, as well as the relocation of many pages from WikiWikiWeb. |
| 2000 | Wiki evolution | By this time, WikiWikiWeb, the first wiki, has evolved significantly. It has grown beyond its initial purpose, leading to the creation of sister sites like MeatballWiki. This evolution demonstrates the expanding utility and cultural development of wikis, which would become more diverse and specialized. | |
| 2002 | January | Transition | Wikipedia transitions from UseModWiki to a PHP wiki engine, and later to MediaWiki in July 2002, enhancing its scalability and functionality.[1] |
| 2002 | January 25 | Wiki launch | MediaWiki is launched as a free and open-source wiki software. Initially developed by Magnus Manske for Wikipedia, the software would be enhanced by Lee Daniel Crocker and maintained by the Wikimedia Foundation. MediaWiki supports large-scale collaborative projects with its robust features for content management and editing. Its flexibility and scalability makes it the preferred choice for Wikipedia and numerous other wikis worldwide, solidifying its role as a key tool in the development of collaborative online platforms. |
| 2004 | January | Software Launch | XWiki, an open-source Java wiki application, is released by Ludovic Dubost. |
| 2004 | October | MinorEdits checkbox is removed. | |
| 2004 | December | Wiki launch | Encyclopedia Dramatica, a satirical wiki dedicated to mocking internet culture, is founded. The site quickly becomes infamous for its irreverent content and controversial approach to documenting online phenomena. It would remain a prominent figure in internet culture until its shutdown in April 2011, although it would be later revived by different administrators. |
| 2005 | October | Service Launch | Wetpaint, a wiki farm, is launched. It aims to create a platform for users to build community sites with rich media content, further diversifying the types of wikis available. |
| 2005 | October | Wiki launch | La Frikipedia, a Spanish-language parody of Wikipedia, is launched. Like its counterparts in other languages, La Frikipedia uses humor and satire to poke fun at Wikipedia's serious tone. It would become a popular site in the Spanish-speaking internet community, known for its irreverent take on various subjects. |
| 2005 | November | Wiki launch | Dan Bricklin, a pioneer in spreadsheet software, launches wikiCalc, a wiki-based spreadsheet application. WikiCalc allows users to collaboratively create and edit spreadsheets within a wiki environment, combining the flexibility of wikis with the functionality of traditional spreadsheet software. |
| 2006 | April | Wiki application launch | eTouch Systems launches SamePage, a wiki application aimed at enterprise users. SamePage offers a collaborative platform for project management, document sharing, and team communication, positioning itself as a comprehensive solution for corporate collaboration and content management. |
| 2006 | April | Acquisition | Internet Brands purchases the sites WikiTravel and World66. WikiTravel, a collaborative travel guide, and World66, a travel-focused wiki, are integrated into Internet Brands' portfolio, enhancing its presence in the travel and tourism sector. This acquisition aims to leverage the community-driven content of these wikis to provide comprehensive travel information and resources to users, further expanding Internet Brands' offerings in the online travel space.[2] |
| 2006 | August | Service Launch | Wikidot, a wiki hosting service that allows users to create and manage their own wikis, is launched. It would become known for its versatility and use in a variety of fields, including education, gaming, and personal projects. |
| 2006 | October | Acquisition | Google acquires JotSpot, a commercially developed wiki platform designed to enable collaborative workspaces for users. JotSpot was founded by Joe Kraus and Graham Spencer, and it offers an easy-to-use interface for creating and managing wikis, making it popular for businesses and project teams. The acquisition marks Google's deeper venture into collaborative software, as it aims to integrate JotSpot into its suite of productivity tools. By 2007, JotSpot would be rebranded and relaunched as part of Google’s core offerings, complementing other services like Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Docs.[3] |
| 2006 | November | Microsoft launches Office SharePoint Server 2007, introducing wiki and blog functionality within the enterprise environment for the first time. This release marks a significant step in integrating collaborative tools into Microsoft's widely-used productivity suite, catering to the growing demand for enterprise-level collaboration platforms. | |
| 2007 | Wiki popularization | Wikipedia's ranking among the top ten most popular websites underscores its significant impact and widespread adoption. The site’s success plays a crucial role in popularizing the concept of wikis and showcasing their effectiveness as collaborative tools.[4] | |
| 2007 | - | Wiki launch | Encyc, an alternative wiki to Wikipedia, is founded using PmWiki software. In 2008, it would transition to MediaWiki, reflecting a broader trend of adoption of the MediaWiki platform across various independent wiki projects. |
| 2007 | May | Metaweb launches Freebase, a platform designed to store information from Wikipedia and other sources in a structured, queriable format. Freebase aims to provide an organized repository of knowledge, facilitating more complex queries. Google would acquire Metaweb and Freebase in July 2010, integrating the technology into the Google Knowledge Graph launched in 2012. | |
| 2008 | August | Controversy | United States presidential candidate John McCain faces controversy when he was accused of plagiarizing Wikipedia in a speech about Georgia. The accusation arises after it was noted that sections of McCain's speech closely mirrors content from Wikipedia, leading to allegations of improper use of the online encyclopedia without proper attribution. The incident draws attention to Wikipedia's role as a widely used reference source and sparks discussions about the proper attribution of online content in political discourse.[5] |
| 2008 | October | Forking of TWiki | Most developers of TWiki leave the project to create a fork called Foswiki. This decision follows a controversial move by TWiki’s creator, Peter Thoeny, who takes control of the TWiki code and trademark through his company, TWiki.net. The split highlights the challenges of open-source governance and community management within the wiki software space.[6][7] |
| 2009 | May | Google introduces Google Wave, a platform intended to integrate wikis with email, instant messaging, and social networking.[8][9] Later known as Apache Wave, it features advanced tools like contextual spelling and grammar checking and automated language translation. Google would suspend development in August 2010,[10] and the project is adopted by the Apache Software Foundation.[11] However, it never reaches a full release and is discontinued in January 2018.[12] | |
| 2009 | June | Plagiarism | Journalist Chris Anderson admits to plagiarizing several Wikipedia articles in his book Free: The Future of a Radical Price. Anderson describes the incident as a "screwup" and attributes it to a lack of clarity on how to cite specific versions of Wikipedia articles, highlighting the challenges of using online content in published works.[13] |
| 2011 | January | Anniversary | Wikipedia celebrates its 10th anniversary with significant international media coverage, highlighting its global impact and recognition as one of the most important works of the digital age. Notably, the German newspaper Die Zeit features a cover story declaring Wikipedia as "The greatest work of mankind," reflecting the platform's growing significance and global impact. |
| 2012 | March | Wiki proposal | Wikidata is proposed as a Wikimedia Foundation project aimed at creating a collaborative database of structured data that could be used across all language versions of Wikipedia. Officially launched later that year, Wikidata would become a critical resource for improving data consistency and enabling more sophisticated querying across the Wikimedia ecosystem. |
| 2012 | March | Proposal | A proposal is made to have the Wikimedia Foundation host a wiki dedicated to travel advice. The proposal leads to a lengthy discussion and vote, culminating in a decision to incorporate Wikivoyage, a spinoff from the Wikitravel site, as a Wikimedia project. The move is met with legal challenges, but the community ultimately succeeds in launching the travel guide wiki. |
| 2012 | Wiki launch | MyWikis, a MediaWiki-based wiki farm, is launched. It provides a platform for creating and managing multiple wikis under a single umbrella, offering flexibility and scalability for various projects and communities. | |
| 2013 | January 14 | Implementation | Wikidata is officially used for the first time on the Hungarian Wikipedia to enable the automatic display of "interlanguage links" within articles. This marks the beginning of Wikidata's integration into the Wikimedia ecosystem, enhancing the consistency and efficiency of data management across different language versions. |
| 2013 | April | MindTouch Inc. ceases development of its open-source wiki software, transitioning entirely to a proprietary, hosted service model. This move reflects a broader trend in the software industry towards proprietary solutions, as companies seek more control over their products and revenue streams. | |
| 2013 | July | Wetpaint, a company known for its wiki hosting service, sells its wiki operations to WikiFoundry. Wetpaint shifts its focus to hosting professionally generated content, marking a significant change in its business model. The sale represents the evolving nature of the wiki industry, as companies adapt to new market demands and opportunities. |
- ↑ "Wikipedia PDF". Scribd. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedHistory_Of_Wikis - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedWoods - ↑ "The Most Visited Websites Every Year Since 1995". a2hosting.com. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
- ↑ "John McCain versus Wikipedia". telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
- ↑ "Why This Fork". Foswiki. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
- ↑ "Foswiki Task Item 2157". Foswiki. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
- ↑ "Google to Open Beta of Wave in September". phys.org. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
- ↑ Catacchio, Chad (28 May 2010). "Google Wave is 1 year old today, but will anybody show up to the party?". TNW | Google. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
- ↑ "Update on Google Wave". Google Blog. 4 August 2010. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
- ↑ "Google Spins Wave into Wave in a Box for Third-Party Use". PCMag. 8 August 2010. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
- ↑ "Apache Wave Incubation Status". Apache Incubator. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
- ↑ "Wired Free: Wikipedia Fails to Get Due Credit". theguardian.com. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
