Definition

wiki

A wiki (sometimes spelled "Wiki") is a server program that allows users to collaborate in forming the content of a Web site. With a wiki, any user can edit the site content, including other users' contributions, using a regular Web browser. Basically, a wiki Web site operates on a principle of collaborative trust. The term comes from the word "wikiwiki," which means "fast" in the Hawaiian language.

A wiki allows a visitor to the "wikified" Web site to edit the content of the site from their own computer. Visitors can also create new content and change the organization of existing content. The simplest wiki programs allow editing of text and hyperlinks only. More advanced wikis make it possible to add or change images, tables, and certain interactive components such as games.

A wiki provides a simplified interface. At any time, contributors can conveniently view the Web page as it looks to other subscribers, before and after the changes they have made. It is not necessary to know HTML (hypertext markup language) or perform work in HTML code. The best known example of a wiki Web site is Wikipedia, an online dictionary building collaboration.

Contributor(s): Eric Jennings
This was last updated in July 2006
Posted by: Margaret Rouse

Email Alerts

Register now to receive SearchSOA.com-related news, tips and more, delivered to your inbox.
By submitting you agree to receive email from TechTarget and its partners. If you reside outside of the United States, you consent to having your personal data transferred to and processed in the United States. Privacy

More News and Tutorials

  • SOA, semantics and services combine in DoD intelligence sharing effort

    Using textual analytics and natural language processing, Modus Operandi developed a service that analyzes and parses unstructured data and pulls out events or information. Article includes tips on SOA and semantics, SOA and data models, and an SOA recipe for stone soup.Among highlights: Recognize that not everything can be or should be shared.

  • Q&A: Messaging middleware with Apache projects

    In this Q&A, Rob Davies discusses messaging middleware and the hurdles that many developers face as they first approach the subject. Davis is CTO of FuseSource and coauthor of the book "ActiveMQ in Action."

  • An SOA practices checklist for implementation roadmaps

    This article provides a master list of common practices, field proven by a number of SOA projects. Also supplied is a template that can be used as a checklist for developing SOA implementation roadmaps specific to an organization's transition project requirements.

Do you have something to add to this definition? Let us know.

Send your comments to techterms@whatis.com