[pmwiki-users] pmwiki & wordpress

[DaveG]

On 5/22/2010 4:25 AM, adam overton wrote:
>
> hi there
> i've never used wordpress before, but am hearing about it constantly,
> and was wondering if anyone on this list uses both pmwiki and wordpress
> and could explain some of the differences. i know wordpress isn't a
> wiki, but it appears to have a level of customization that makes it very
> attractive. i'm interested to know what the advantages & disadvantages
> of each might be in terms of developing flexible sites for folks, and if
> there are those out there who use wordpress for certain situations, and
> pmwiki for others.
> any suggestions? how are they different?
Easiest way is probably to try it. You can setup a free account on 
wordpress.org

Fundamentally Wordpress is *primarily* a blogging platform, but can be 
stretched into other areas. PmWiki *can* be used as a blogging platform, 
but that is not the primary focus; it's designed to be a flexible 
web-platform that can accommodate a huge range of web-site styles.

Personally I view this in two ways: in terms of the use to which the 
site will be applied (the website style); and in terms of the 
skills/experience of the primary user (not the reader).


*Web Site Styles*: WP is very good for your average person to get their 
thoughts onto the web. It's great for being able to blog. PmWiki simply 
does not have this built-in -- it can be added, but even then it's not 
quite as robust.

But PmWiki excels in other areas, where it's more akin to the 
capabilities of Drupal or Joomla. Again, PmWiki *can* do blogging, but 
it's not the primary focus; it's designed to be a flexible web-platform 
that can accommodate a huge range of web-site styles, with aprimary 
focus on open and collaborative editing. Wordpress is *primarily* a 
blogging platform, but can be stretched into other areas if needed, but 
does not have a robust wiki editing mechanism.


*User*: There are very large conceptual hurdles to over-come with 
PmWiki. I'll give some examples, but this is the primary reason I don't 
recommend PmWiki in all cases, and tend to guide certain groups of 
usually not-so-computer-literate people to Wordpress.

] PmWiki markup is simply too obscure for non-computer users -- seeing 
the markup in the editor is not what people expect today. They expect to 
be able to edit largely what will be displayed. Worpress isn't wysisyg, 
but it's close enough.

] Managing attachments is considerably easier in WP; *but* it's not 
perfect, and it's the area I usually end up having to explain a few 
times. PmWik is simply too obscure.

] Look and feel for site-administrators in WP is way better than even 
the best skins on PmWiki. This sounds like a poor reason, but for a 
large portion of non-computer literate users, this tends to be a 
significant factor.


  ~ ~ Dave