Wiki wishlist
June 7, 2010 7:12 AM Subscribe
Is there any Wiki software that can be downloaded and which resides on a local machine?
I have a couple of projects coming up, for which Wiki software would be a perfect organizational tool.
However, given the confidential nature of these projects (NDAs, etc.) I would prefer that the software and the data reside on my personal computer, and not on the web.
Are there any such tools out there?
Failing that, which wiki web sites allow one to limit who can view the information?
I have a couple of projects coming up, for which Wiki software would be a perfect organizational tool.
However, given the confidential nature of these projects (NDAs, etc.) I would prefer that the software and the data reside on my personal computer, and not on the web.
Are there any such tools out there?
Failing that, which wiki web sites allow one to limit who can view the information?
Best answer: If you're looking for a little personal wiki platform, I've made good use of tiddlywiki. Totally self-contained and designed for personal use on a PC. You can share it if need be by putting it on a server someplace, but it's really made for the exact situation you describe.
posted by jquinby at 7:20 AM on June 7, 2010
posted by jquinby at 7:20 AM on June 7, 2010
Best answer: The answer is yes you can do this. Typically you can just run a web server on your own computer and share with whoever you like on your network (or internet, if you want). Setting up a server can easily be done through an install of MAMP.
I googled "personal wiki" an got this list on the first hit.
Having no experience with them, I can't personally recommend any particular one.
posted by qwip at 7:20 AM on June 7, 2010 [1 favorite]
I googled "personal wiki" an got this list on the first hit.
Having no experience with them, I can't personally recommend any particular one.
posted by qwip at 7:20 AM on June 7, 2010 [1 favorite]
Best answer: If you're on a Mac, Voodoo Pad would be good for you. (I haven't played with any of the Windows alternatives.) As far as hosted solutions, I've heard good things about PBwiki, which lets you create private wikis. Of course, you could always install Apache on your own workstation and run whatever wiki software you like.
posted by paulg at 7:25 AM on June 7, 2010
posted by paulg at 7:25 AM on June 7, 2010
Best answer: A comparison site that might be useful for you is: http://www.wikimatrix.org/
posted by Simon_ at 7:26 AM on June 7, 2010
posted by Simon_ at 7:26 AM on June 7, 2010
Best answer: I've done this by setting up a webserver on my machine (not open to the internet, only to my computer) and installing MediaWiki, which I found pretty easy to use (possibly because I'm used to Wikipedia). If that all seems a bit too in depth I'd second using Tiddlywiki for something nice and simple.
posted by teraspawn at 7:27 AM on June 7, 2010
posted by teraspawn at 7:27 AM on June 7, 2010
Best answer: You can use absolutely any wiki software you like. Most will come with installation instructions: you just need to follow the instructions on your own computer. As gwip says, you will need to install a web server program first (Apache is probably your best bet).
Once you have installed it, you will be able to connect to it using your web browser, with an address something like http://localhost/wiki. The last part of this address will depend on where exactly you installed the wiki. "localhost" means "the same computer that you are typing on".
Other people could theoretically connect to this web server on your machine and see your wiki, by navigating to http://yourcomputername/wiki. It's likely that your firewall settings or your home modem/router (if you're at home) will prevent this. You can test it out from another computer, and if you can still see the wiki, you can change the firewall settings on your PC to prevent external access. Alternatively, you could configure Apache to deny remote access, but fiddling with your firewall will probably be easier for you.
posted by emilyw at 7:31 AM on June 7, 2010
Once you have installed it, you will be able to connect to it using your web browser, with an address something like http://localhost/wiki. The last part of this address will depend on where exactly you installed the wiki. "localhost" means "the same computer that you are typing on".
Other people could theoretically connect to this web server on your machine and see your wiki, by navigating to http://yourcomputername/wiki. It's likely that your firewall settings or your home modem/router (if you're at home) will prevent this. You can test it out from another computer, and if you can still see the wiki, you can change the firewall settings on your PC to prevent external access. Alternatively, you could configure Apache to deny remote access, but fiddling with your firewall will probably be easier for you.
posted by emilyw at 7:31 AM on June 7, 2010
Best answer: I like Zim. Works out of the box on Windows and most Linux distros. If OSX, it needs some dependencies that are available via MacPorts or Fink.
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 7:32 AM on June 7, 2010
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 7:32 AM on June 7, 2010
Response by poster: All very helpful, thanks.
Apparently this is more common than I thought!
posted by dfriedman at 7:47 AM on June 7, 2010
Apparently this is more common than I thought!
posted by dfriedman at 7:47 AM on June 7, 2010
I found Instiki to be several notches more powerful than TiddlyWiki, while still being very simple to install. Most importantly to me, it offers Markdown formatting & revisions.
posted by Jack Karaoke at 9:23 AM on June 7, 2010
posted by Jack Karaoke at 9:23 AM on June 7, 2010
These are all great suggestions, you'll find one you love.
I favor tiddlywiki because of it's insanely great portability. You don't need to install anything at all. It's a self contained file that will open in most any web browser on any platform. You can pop it on a flash drive or in your Dropbox and your wiki can be secure but accessible from anywhere.
If you are on a Mac and only on a Mac, Voodoo Pad is total awesome.
posted by quarterframer at 9:44 AM on June 7, 2010
I favor tiddlywiki because of it's insanely great portability. You don't need to install anything at all. It's a self contained file that will open in most any web browser on any platform. You can pop it on a flash drive or in your Dropbox and your wiki can be secure but accessible from anywhere.
If you are on a Mac and only on a Mac, Voodoo Pad is total awesome.
posted by quarterframer at 9:44 AM on June 7, 2010
There's also a wiki plugin for vim, if you ever used vi/vim that might be something to look at, if you only need text and links, that might be lighter and easier to tweak than GUI wikis.
posted by rainy at 9:59 AM on June 7, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by rainy at 9:59 AM on June 7, 2010 [1 favorite]
wikidpad is great for a private wiki.
Very basic, no bells and whistles a "notepad on steroids".
posted by adamvasco at 11:28 AM on June 7, 2010
Very basic, no bells and whistles a "notepad on steroids".
posted by adamvasco at 11:28 AM on June 7, 2010
I've tried many of the desktop wikis listed above, and I finally ended up with Treepad. It's been perfect for organizing my notes, and it's very simple. Some of the wikis above were too simple, some too complicated. What I like about Treepad is its basic simplicity and its intuitive organizational structure. It's tiny (size-wise, I mean), private (since it's not online), and easily accessed right on my desktop. There's nothing to actually install. You could even just put it on a thumb drive. It utilizes a visual (collapsible) tree structure (each page is a 'node'), which I think would be useful for organizing projects and larger writing assignments (like dissertations, etc.). It's one of the best applications I've ever downloaded!
posted by Mael Oui at 8:15 PM on June 7, 2010
posted by Mael Oui at 8:15 PM on June 7, 2010
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posted by edbles at 7:20 AM on June 7, 2010