NOTE: This is a DistributionDocument. Please help maintain high quality documentation: This is a wiki, please fix the documentation if you find errors or incomplete content. Put questions and suggestions concerning the documentation of this topic in the comments section below. Use the Support web for problems you are having using TWiki.

TWiki is a Web-based collaboration platform

• A TWiki site is an easy-to-use, full-featured open communications environment:
  • people anywhere on the Web or on an intranet can meet
  • rich Web text, images, and online multimedia are easily shared
  • documents and other files can be uploaded and downloaded
  • all you need is a Web browser and any available network connection

TWiki is an UNUSUAL Web-based collaboration platform

• There's no doubt that, to most people, TWiki at first seems almost the opposite of how the Web and online communications "normally" work. Why?
  • TWiki operates like a whiteboard for the Web - it lets you and all other users write, place pictures and post links, anywhere on any page.
  • Not only that, everyone can EDIT anything, anywhere on a page.
  • At first, this may seem "too" open - it soon becomes second-nature, allowing you the freedom to edit and update the way you want to.

TWiki is a powerful Web enhancement...

• TWiki's parsing engine is written in Perl. It reads a text file, and converts TWiki shorthand into standard HTML, on the fly. The point is to:
  • make adding and editing text simple (How simple? Click on the Edit link at the bottom of the page...)
  • let you find information fast (WebSearch)

• TWiki provides an intuitive way for people to meet and collaborate, that aspires to the Zen ideals known as WabiSabi. It finds beauty in the imperfect and ephemeral and constantly evolving. (When it comes down to it, that's all you need.)

• TWiki is one of many WikiWikiClones, based on Ward Cunningham's original Wiki Wiki Web.

"TWiki" stands for...

• Wiki wiki means "quick" in Hawaiian. The shuttle at Honolulu Airport is called the wiki wiki bus, which is where the original Wiki web got its name.
• TWiki is short for TakeFive Wiki, the name of the company where its founder Peter Thoeny worked. (It was later discovered that Twiki is also the name of an AI robot that co-starred in the Buck Rogers movie and TV series from 1979.)

Selected TWiki Topics...

• WelcomeGuest is a fast track guide to TWiki
• TWikiSite provides a basic big picture overview of the TWiki platform
• TWikiTopics is a quick and concentrated look at the TWiki core
• TWikiPlannedFeatures lists approved additions to future TWiki versions.
• TWikiEnhancementRequests is the place to add your new feature requests.
• TWiki Documentation: a compact User's Guide and an in-depth Reference Manual.
• TWikiHistory puts TWiki development on a timeline
• WikiCulture looks at the unique type of collaboration Wiki systems offer.
• WikiReferences links to articles and books about collaboration and Wiki technology.

If you have to log-in to use TWiki, for example, if TWiki is running on an intranet, it automatically signs pages you edit and create with your WikiName. If your TWiki installation doesn't require a log-in, TWiki gives everyone the same username: TWikiGuest.

Disclaimer

• TWiki^® is a registered trademarks of TWiki founder Peter Thoeny, TWIKI.NET. The TWiki logo and the "Collaborate with TWiki" tagline are trademarks of Peter Thoeny.
• TWiki is developed as Free Software under the GNU/GPL.
• TWiki has its root in the GPLed JosWiki. Many thanks to Markus Peter and Dave Harris for creating JosWiki!
• TWiki's home address is http://twiki.org/
• The latest TWiki release is available from http://twiki.org/download.html
• This site is powered by TWiki version TWiki-4.1.1, Mon, 05 Feb 2007, build 12770

Related Topics: UserDocumentationCategory

-- Contributors: TWiki:Main.MikeMannix, TWiki:Main.PeterThoeny

Comments & Questions about this Distribution Document Topic

Stripped the description that Peter Thoeny originated the codebase that TWiki is a code derivative of (since it's a false statement), added a pointer to a list of contributors, as wells as an indication of the number of developers/documentors involved.

-- MichaelSparks - 02 Nov 2003

I reverted Michael's comments (which I believe were in good intent) and added a reference to JosWiki. Thanks Michael for the heads up on this omission! BTW, JosWiki is already mentioned in the TWiki.org home, in DefaultPlugin, and in many topics in the Codev web. This brings back memories when I supplied patches back to Markus Peter and Dave Harris in summer 1998.

Not to diminish the work of Markus Peter and Dave Harris on JosWiki, but to put it into the right perspective, the original JosWiki had 588 lines of code, a few template files and no documentation. In comparison, the current TWiki has 17,538 lines of code, many templates and 590KB documentation.

-- PeterThoeny - 02 Nov 2003

Just a simple way to see information throught web systems (mainly intranets in my vision), in future most of information on big companies will be editable making de Web Master's work more easy ...

-- JohnnyMcloud - 04 Nov 2003

The flexibility provided by twiki is amazing.I am looking forward to contribute some plugin for twiki.

-- DevenPuri - 15 Nov 2003

Loooks goood ... !! but whats running at the back end is what i need to know ??

• Answer: perl, RCS, a webserver

-- Hardeep

Good. Be nice to understand differences with other implementations. Also was the company where you worked called "take five" or "twiki"?

• Answer: Take Five

-- AndrewCates - 07 Jun 2004

Testing the Twili features for an opensource project group who are in desparate need of a good collaboration tool for their web site. Hope this works!

-- TWikiGuest - 02 Nov 2004

I have a suggestion. Please make the entry boxes for all the data a different color- I missed a couple while registering. It maybe my vision... but there may be others out there like me too! Please do point out if there is some way I can do this on my browser without editing the page...

-- PavitraKrishnamurthy - 15 Mar 2006

I am looking for a collaborative tool that is easy to install, use and maintain. In addition to comments and links we will need to organize and share document files. How easy is it to set-up Twiki for handling documentation?

-- MikePod - 21 Apr 2006

This is not a documentation question. Please ask in the Support web.

-- PeterThoeny - 28 Apr 2006