How does YACS compare to Wiki?
The first ever wiki site was created for the Portland Pattern Repository in 1995. That site now hosts tens of thousands of pages.
According to the What is Wiki? page, Wiki is the simplest online database that could possibly work.
Wiki is a piece of server software that allows users to freely create and edit Web page content using any Web browser. Wiki supports hyperlinks and has a simple text syntax for creating new pages and crosslinks between internal pages on the fly.
YACS, like Wiki, has been created to let people express themselves on the web. Therefore both systems have a lot in common. However, YACS architecture differs significantly from a Wiki system.
Here are Design Principles used for Wiki, and a description of what we've done for YACS.
[decorated]Open - Should a page be found to be incomplete or poorly organized, any reader can edit it as they see fit.
YACS: you have to be an associate to edit every piece of the software. An associate is any registered user recognized as such by a peer associate. [/decorated] [decorated]Incremental - Pages can cite other pages, including pages that have not been written yet.
YACS: some formatting codes have been introduced as shortcuts to other articles, sections, categories, or user. More on this at codes/links.php. [/decorated] [decorated]Organic - The structure and text content of the site is open to editing and evolution.
YACS: articles, sections or categories can be added, changed, or removed at any time. [/decorated] [decorated]Mundane - A small number of (irregular) text conventions will provide access to the most useful page markup.
YACS: achieved with the formatting codes. More at codes/index.php [/decorated] [decorated]Universal - The mechanisms of editing and organizing are the same as those of writing so that any writer is automatically an editor and organizer.
YACS: associate = editor + organizer [/decorated] [decorated]Overt - The formatted (and printed) output will suggest the input required to reproduce it.
YACS: not sure of the actual meaning of this one - Any suggestion appreciated... [/decorated] [decorated]Unified - Page names will be drawn from a flat space so that no additional context is required to interpret them.
YACS: flat name spaces are used throughout the system [/decorated] [decorated]Precise - Pages will be titled with sufficient precision to avoid most name clashes, typically by forming noun phrases.
YACS: page references are based on identifiers rather than text, to allow further title modification [/decorated] [decorated]Tolerant - Interpretable (even if undesirable) behavior is preferred to error messages.
YACS: this one is quite difficult to achieve, even if we do share the concept at YACS [/decorated] [decorated]Observable - Activity within the site can be watched and reviewed by any other visitor to the site.
YACS: visit the control panel [/decorated] [decorated]Convergent - Duplication can be discouraged or removed by finding and citing similar or related content.
YACS: linking to external sources is achieved easily. YACS automatically extracts links from published pages to expand the database of external references. [/decorated]
Of course, you may have your own opinion on YACS versus Wiki. If this is the case, please drop a comment below.
[decorated]Open - Should a page be found to be incomplete or poorly organized, any reader can edit it as they see fit.
YACS: you have to be an associate to edit every piece of the software. An associate is any registered user recognized as such by a peer associate. [/decorated] [decorated]Incremental - Pages can cite other pages, including pages that have not been written yet.
YACS: some formatting codes have been introduced as shortcuts to other articles, sections, categories, or user. More on this at codes/links.php. [/decorated] [decorated]Organic - The structure and text content of the site is open to editing and evolution.
YACS: articles, sections or categories can be added, changed, or removed at any time. [/decorated] [decorated]Mundane - A small number of (irregular) text conventions will provide access to the most useful page markup.
YACS: achieved with the formatting codes. More at codes/index.php [/decorated] [decorated]Universal - The mechanisms of editing and organizing are the same as those of writing so that any writer is automatically an editor and organizer.
YACS: associate = editor + organizer [/decorated] [decorated]Overt - The formatted (and printed) output will suggest the input required to reproduce it.
YACS: not sure of the actual meaning of this one - Any suggestion appreciated... [/decorated] [decorated]Unified - Page names will be drawn from a flat space so that no additional context is required to interpret them.
YACS: flat name spaces are used throughout the system [/decorated] [decorated]Precise - Pages will be titled with sufficient precision to avoid most name clashes, typically by forming noun phrases.
YACS: page references are based on identifiers rather than text, to allow further title modification [/decorated] [decorated]Tolerant - Interpretable (even if undesirable) behavior is preferred to error messages.
YACS: this one is quite difficult to achieve, even if we do share the concept at YACS [/decorated] [decorated]Observable - Activity within the site can be watched and reviewed by any other visitor to the site.
YACS: visit the control panel [/decorated] [decorated]Convergent - Duplication can be discouraged or removed by finding and citing similar or related content.
YACS: linking to external sources is achieved easily. YACS automatically extracts links from published pages to expand the database of external references. [/decorated]
Of course, you may have your own opinion on YACS versus Wiki. If this is the case, please drop a comment below.