[pmwiki-users] wysiwyg editor for wiki

[John Rankin]

On Thursday, 20 July 2006 4:09 PM, Chris Cox <ccox at airmail.net> wrote:
>John Rankin wrote:
>> On Thursday, 20 July 2006 3:27 AM, Patrick R. Michaud <pmichaud at pobox.com> wrote:
>>> On Mon, Jul 17, 2006 at 08:57:44PM -0400, Henrik Bechmann wrote:
>>>> Thanks Patrick,
>>>>
>>>> If I may offer the following:
>>>>
>>>> In the broad sweep of web 2.0 evolution, I think that Wysiwig is 
>>>> inevitable, therefore for PmWiki, eventually it will be essential 
>>>> (version 3?).
>>> I'm not sure I agree that WYSIWYG is inevitable, nor that it will
>>> be essential.  I've been around the computing industry long enough
>>> to know that GUI doesn't always trump text.  :-)
>> 
>> I think both views are correct. For me, WYSIWYG wiki editing gets
>> in the way -- I like using wiki markup, I like using XML structured
>> editors and I find WYSIWYG tools like Word frustrating.
>> 
>> However, several people whose views I respect have stated that they 
>> will not use a wiki unless it has some form of WYSIWYG. It seems a 
>> shame that these people are denied the joy of wiki. For them, lack 
>> of WISIWYG is reason enough to eliminate wikis from
>consideration.
>
>
>I'll add my two cents.
>
>It can NEVER be WYSIWYG... at best it is WYSIAWYG, but probably,
>WYSISWYG (A=Almost, S=Sometimes).  There are WAY too many variables
>that will prevent true WYSIWYG... which means that you will basically
>end up with something that is a pretty markup editor... not much
>of a step up from just plain ole markup and unlike pure markup,
>the exact interpretation of the "pretty editor" markup is undefined
>and will vary greatly from site to site and possibly (and likely)
>within a single site.
>
I agree, but have failed to convince those who demand a form of 
WYSIWYG. The Lyx community uses the term WYSIWYM -- what you see 
is what you Mean. This is a helpful distinction, as it nicely 
encapsulates the idea that markup defines the structure and 
semantics of the content. It is also consistent with the approach 
some XML editors, such as Syntext Serna, have adopted.

So I suggest that what people are actually wanting is a WYSIWYM
editor and we think about it in those terms. The WYSIWYG part is
perhaps restricted to purely stylistic markup, like colours.
-- 
JR
--
John Rankin