Here's a cool application. MoinMoin has a version of their wiki which easily installs and runs on a Windows XP desktop. This could be a great tool for students and academics alike.
Installation in Windows is very simple. Clicking on the downloaded .exe file extracts a folder. Within that folder are two files you need to know about if you want to try it, too:
- Moin.exe. Click on that to turn the wiki engine on. A console window will open up. Leave it open while using the wiki.
- Use the MoinMoin DesktopEdition shortcut to open your wiki in the browser.
Have you tried
Have you tried tiddlywiki?
it's just one file. It can be stored on a usb drive, or published to the web. Pretty nice.
Wikis on the Desktop
I know I'm supposed to be the resident wiki jedi and what not, but I have to admit, I just don't get why anyone would want a desktop wiki. It seems like the whole point of wikis is to get people involved, and unless you're "hotseating" your desktop wiki, why bother?
I can see the value here in just giving folks a chance to familiarize themselves with the interface and tinkering around, though. Even then I'd have to question if this is a better approach than just playing in a wiki sandbox.
Does anyone have any ideas about how desktop wikis could be more useful than, say, just using notepad, OO, or, dare I say it, Microsoft's OneNote?
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Check out Barton's gaming blog at Armchair Arcade.
Even if it's a personal
Even if it's a personal notebook wiki, the content is better off Out There. Wikis done right require some cognitive overhead that isn't repaid on the desktop alone.
But I can think of two reasons for creating desktop wikis: timidity by the wiki author, timidity by the application designer. Three reasons: no access to a server.
I'd have another look at MoinMoin. The Mac version - MoinMoinX - has a built in server. Launch the app and bang you're online (as long as They open the firewall).
Wiki Jedi indeed!
contrary to popular misconception . . .
Fourth reason: Contrary to popular misconception, the Internet is not always available or access dependable ;-)
Seriously, there are a lot of people who might like to use a wiki regularly as a notebook space, but they commute on the train or bus. Or maybe they travel a lot by plane.
Fifth reason: Some people may have a job that involves working with sensitive information that cannot be publicly shared on the Internet.
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Granted, wikis work very well as community oriented, collaborative spaces. But they can also be used for building and connecting information and ideas in a hypertextual network by a single individual. Just because something works well in a public space does not discount the possibility of private applications. And the fact that there has not been a really good desktop wiki application may be why we haven't seen--or thought about--many individual uses for one yet. For instance, one might use it to create offline the world's first great hypertext novel :-)
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Charlie | cyberdash