[Pmwiki-users] Three Questions

Pierre Rouzeau pierre
Sun Jan 2 07:24:38 CST 2005


Hello,
These questions are neither strange nor irrelevant.

One of the first question you rise when choosing a wiki engine is its 
future.
If you are someone who don't have much computer knowledge and just want 
to build web sites (which is, after all, what Wikis are done for), you 
know you depends from others and this question is even more important.
Your remark 'this is just php' shows that you are probably somewhat 
involved in web computing. Not all PmWiki installers are.

When I started to search a Wiki engine, I have initially rejected all 
Wikis done by a lone person, for this simple reason.
If I have been back on PmWiki, this is why i was unhappy with other engines.
What decided me, other than functionnalities, was the low size of the 
distribution, and the fact that the core module was only 40k.
The only knowledge i had to date about PHP was that it was a language 
executed on the server side. So i was totally unable to judge the code 
quality, but i think that short programs are probably better designed.
This low volume might also be a strong help for others to maintain the 
program in case of problems. Short size is not always synonym to 
'elegant and simple', so i had to take a risk on that, but the general 
philosophy expressed on the site have decided me.

Since four month i've began this Wiki discovering, and having somewhat 
participated to the PmWiki stuff, i am now persuaded that PmWiki *will* 
survive, whatever may occurr to his initiator.
Even in case of main site breakdown, it is possible to rebuild another 
site, and significant part shall be redone (PITS), but this is fairly 
workable. And there will be people to do the job.

So Theo, i really think you can come on this boat. She will stay afloat.

PRZ - (Pierre Rouzeau)

Regards

> Spam Account Speedxs a ?crit :
 > As far as i can see it, it's not just one person doing everything, yet
 > others that help seem not part of the default team.
 > PmWiki is just PHP, all sources are there and all scripts are
 > maintainable by anyone who knows it.
 > If whatever happens to Michaud, the only thing that would be
 > inaccassible are the latest changes but don't consider that a disaster.
 > strange questions for a project that is more open source than it 
looks like.
> 
> Theo Armour wrote:
> 
>> Hello PmWiki users:
>>
>> As the strength of PmWiki develops, larger numbers of administrators 
>> will want to commit significant numbers of web sites to PmWiki. In 
>> doing so we all would appreciate some assurance that the project has 
>> an ongoing stability, predictable future growth, and collaborative 
>> support.
>>
>> Below I outline some of the typical questions (along with nightmare 
>> scenarios) that web site administrators may have:
>>
>> 1. Career/Personal Prospects
>>
>> Pm's personal web site implies that he is looking for a new position 
>> or even a new career. Are Pm currently supporting himself adequately? 
>> Will Pm be able to continue development PmWiki for the next year or two?
>>
>> Nightmare scenario. PmWiki becomes like phpNuke: published by a lone 
>> individual developer incessantly bleating for money.
>>
>> 2. Predictable Future Growth
>>
>> Is there a road map for PmWiki? Or perhaps more to the point is there 
>> a list of things that will *not* happen to PmWiki (forewarned is 
>> forearmed).
>>
>> [Is one needed? The PmWiki Philosophy (also core beliefs) is already 
>> some distance ahead of what other web apps offer.]

>> Nightmare scenarios. The work product of an individual tends to be 
>> quirkier than the work product of a group.  PmWiki starts to bloat. 
>> PITS (or some other special aspect) starts to become Pm's primary 
>> topic of interest.  Pm's primary interest switches to an altogether 
>> different type of application.
>>
>> 3. Collaboration
>>
>> Does PmWiki have the required resources? Is there a fly in the 
>> ointment? Is there anything else we should know about?
>>
>> If something nasty unforeseen should happen, does anybody have 
>> maintenance/root access to Pm?s server? Or to a public CVS?

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