How to Set Up a Wiki?

[IJ Reilly]

I'm looking for advice on setting up a wiki -- I want to create a collaborative, public database on a web server (not my Mac). I've located quite a few wiki cgi scripts out on the 'net but they all seem fairly complicated to set up and the creators assume you understand a lot more about wiki than I know at this point. I'm seeking wiki software which is relatively easy to set up and administer. Does such a thing exist?

Thanks!

 

[iMeowbot]

MediaWiki (the stuff that Wikipedia runs) really isn't bad to get going, all the pain is in getting PHP and MySQL themselves installed (which most Web services will make you do anyway). The instructions are reasonably complete these days. Most of the configuration of the wiki is handled by menus right in the scripts.

#mediawiki on irc.freenode.net can be a good help source, if you catch it at a time of day when living people are there

 

[DXoverDY]

MediaWiki is nice, i use TikiWiki on mine.. lots more control and was pretty easy to setup if you have shell access anyway.. if not you can always ftp the bugger and do your permission changes that way..

www.tikiwiki.org

 

[IJ Reilly]

Thanks but the installation instructions alone on both of these applications are mind-boggling. I've worked with relatively simply cgi and perl scripts but I think my chances of my getting this right with either one of these are pretty small. Then I get to the issue of configuration and understanding how this actually works.

Should my domain host be handling the install anyway?

 

[Makosuke]

Should my domain host be handling the install anyway?

Depends whether you've contracted with somebody to build and run your site, in which case yes, or whether you just have a webhost to which you upload files, in which case no.

Dreamhost (a decent mid-sized webhost) has an auto-install for a basic Wiki if you don't have any fancy requirements, and there's at least a small chance your webhost has some "standard" software packages that they'll automatically install for you (or more likely you can automatically install for yourself using their control panel).

If you're not that lucky and you're not comfortable installing server-side software yourself (it's really not that hard if you follow the instructions carefully, but it can be VERY scary), your only option is to pay somebody to do it. Shouldn't cost a fortune, anyway.

If it's a very small project, you might check out TiddlyWiki: http://www.tiddlywiki.com/

It's a weird Javascript-based Wiki that essentially uses a mess of in-browser scripting to let you save a single HTML file to your hard drive and use your browser to edit its content as if it were a full-on Wiki. Once it's set up, you can save it and upload it, and it'll work (but not be directly editable) on the web. Runs surprisingly and is fun to mess around with, though I'm not sure if it's the right tool for your needs--generally it's better for setting up single-person Wiki-style sites.

 

[IJ Reilly]

The number of wiki variants out there is staggering. It's hard to know what to try or where to turn.

I've got a more or less self-serve domain hosting service for the two domains I own. That is, I maintain my own web sites. I've got a cgi directory but I've had only limited success in getting cgi scripts to run there. Getting the paths right is such a pain in the neck. Not something I want to try with a thing as complex as a wiki.

I sent them an e-mail asking about hosting a wiki, but haven't heard back yet. Given the speed at which the owner usually replies, I'm guessing I threw him a loop. I also have an idea he won't want me installing any code outside of my domains and probably won't want to do it himself.