 Thehomepage of the WikiWikiWeb in 2003 | |
Type of site | Wiki with focus onsoftware design patterns |
|---|---|
| Available in | English |
| Headquarters | Portland, Oregon |
| Owner | Cunningham & Cunningham, Inc. |
| Created by | Ward Cunningham |
| URL | wiki |
| Registration | Not implemented; users can edit using any name and optionally create a page about themselves under that name |
| Launched | March 25, 1995; 30 years ago (1995-03-25) |
| Current status | Active (Read-only indefinitely since February 1, 2015)[1] |
TheWikiWikiWeb is the firstwiki, or user-editable website.[1] It was launched on 25 March 1995 by programmerWard Cunningham and has been a read-only archive since 2015. The nameWikiWikiWeb originally also applied to thewiki software that operated the website, which was later renamed to "WikiBase".
WikiWikiWeb is the firstwiki, or user-editable website.[1] The site was launched on 25 March 1995 by programmerWard Cunningham to accompany thePortland Pattern Repository website discussingsoftware design patterns.
The nameWikiWikiWeb originally also applied to thewiki software that operated the website, written in thePerl programming language and later renamed to "WikiBase".
Hyperlinks between pages on WikiWikiWeb are created by joining capitalized words together, a technique referred to ascamel case. This convention ofwiki markup formatting is still followed by some more recent wiki software, whereas others, such as theMediaWiki software that powersWikipedia, allow links without camel case.
The software and website were developed in 1994 by Cunningham in order to make the exchange of ideas between programmers easier. This concept was based on the ideas developed inHyperCard stacks that Cunningham built in the late 1980s.[2][3][4] On March 25, 1995, he installed the software on his company's (Cunningham & Cunningham) website: c2.com. The site was frequently referred to by its users as simply "Wiki"; users of the early network of wiki sites that followed in the 1990s and 2000s followed a convention that using the word with a capitalizedW referred exclusively to WikiWikiWeb.[citation needed]
In December 2014, WikiWikiWeb came under the attack ofvandals, and had to be put into a read-only state.[5] On February 1, 2015, Cunningham announced that the Wiki had been rewritten as asingle-page application and migrated to the newFederated Wiki.[1]
When moved to read-only, the WikiWikiWeb'sWelcome Visitors page contained the following description in the first two paragraphs:[6]
Welcome toWikiWikiWeb, also known as "Wiki". A lot of people had their first wiki experience here. This community has been around since 1995 and consists of many people. We always accept newcomers with valuable contributions. If you haven't used a wiki before, be prepared for a bit ofCultureShock. The usefulness of Wiki is in the freedom, simplicity, and power it offers.
This site's primary focus isPeopleProjectsAndPatterns inSoftwareDevelopment. However, it is more than just anInformalHistoryOfProgrammingIdeas. It started there, but the theme has created a culture andDramaticIdentity all its own. All Wiki content isWorkInProgress. Most of all, this is a forum where people share ideas! It changes as people come and go. Much of the information here is subjective. If you are looking for a dedicated reference site, tryWikiPedia;WikiIsNotWikipedia!
Cunningham came up with the name WikiWikiWeb because he remembered aHonolulu International Airport counter employee who told him to take theWiki Wiki Shuttle, ashuttle bus line that runs between the airport's terminals. "Wiki Wiki" is areduplication of "wiki", aHawaiian language word for "quick".[7] Cunningham's idea was to make WikiWikiWeb's pages quickly editable by its users, so he initially thought about calling it "QuickWeb", but later changed his mind and dubbed it "WikiWikiWeb".[8][9]
