Offline-capable wiki?

May 30, 2006 10:30 PM

I'd like to get my group at work using a wiki for certain projects. However, I've uncovered very few wiki implementations that would allow offline editing and syncback; this is a dealbreaker. Any ideas?

So far I've considered using TiddlyWiki, which would have the nice feature of being sharable over Groove (which we're already using.) I'm worried that all the flashy AJAX/microcontent/etc nonsense would scare people, though, I'd prefer a more traditional non-AJAXy, page-based wiki.

TiwyWiki looks nice, but it's just a demo.

Having everyone run a webserver on their machines isn't out of the question if that's what it takes.

Thanks for your thoughts.

posted by lbergstr to computers & internet (5 comments total)

Besides TiwyWiki, another option I found is Microsoft Office OneNote 2007 (Beta).

Another option is to use a regular wiki software, e.g. MediaWiki, and then something like HTTrack to create periodically complete (but uneditable) copies of the wiki website.

You might also want to reconsider if it really needs to be offline. You could probably equip all the computers with WiFi or some mobile data service (GPRS, UMTS, etc.).
posted by Sharcho at 4:16 AM on May 31, 2006

I've done exactly this by using a wiki that stores pages as plain text (TinyWiki) and using the rsync command before and after editing locally, to stay synchronized with the server.

It was really nice, actually. I could edit files from any web browser, anywhere, or for more serious stuff, could use a text editor on a Mac, Windows, or Linux computer.
posted by gemini at 11:47 AM on May 31, 2006

gemini, rsync doesn't handle conflicts, but Unison File Synchronizer does.

See also earlier related question
posted by Sharcho at 12:55 PM on May 31, 2006

How about using a combination of WikidPad (or VoodooPad on the Mac) and FolderShare?

It's what I use for a personal wiki that I share between a number of computers and I'm sure it would work just as well for multiple people.
posted by freshgroundpepper at 1:00 PM on May 31, 2006

A sort-of related option is to use the Instant Outline option in the OPML Editor - it's not so much a wiki, but each person gets an outline and can subscribe to other people's outlines - you can update your file offline, and it syncs up on connection. As I said, it's not a wiki, but it may do what you want for you.
posted by tommorris at 4:36 AM on June 4, 2006