Question

Guys, I just don't get this one point. Why does all wikis use a special markup language? Wikis are used only in browsers and all browsers do support HTML. With a slight extension & scripting, shouldn't we be able to get most things done with HTML itself?

The reason this question came up because, I just installed the TinyMCE plugin. Now, when I clicked on the small HTML icon on its toolbar, it showed a popup containing the markup & that was a "special" markup. It was neither the proper twiki markup nor standard HTML, making usage of twiki difficult.

Environment

-- TWikiGuest - 06 Dec 2007

Answer

If you answer a question - or someone answered one of your questions - please remember to edit the page and set the status to answered. The status selector is below the edit box.

part one of the answer is that in 1995-2000ish, javascript editors were not really existant, the dhtml ones (like those I wrote) were browser specific, and most people were thrilled not to have to use the wordy, and less forgiving html / xml syntax to mark up their text.

From that, came the deveploment of many different wiki engines, each taking inspiration from different text markup languages and ideals.

I presume you are talking specifically about TML - the macro like language TWiki has using percent signs? That has an added history behind it, which is pretty unique to TWiki - the structured application development syntax that is what makes TWiki special, and different from all other wikis.

but the short version is one of the beauties of wikis is that they have grown way beyond the imaginings of their original creators

-- SvenDowideit - 06 Dec 2007

I thought TML was TWiki Markup Language :P ... is it so? Anyway, on searching wikipedia, I got this link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TML, but this doesn't show the TML that you are talking about ... but there's definitely one thing. Learning 2 different markups i.e. one for the normal edit mode and another for the tinymce is time consuming.

Just my 2 cents

-- TWikiGuest - 07 Dec 2007

Three Meaningless Letters

-- FranzJosefGigler - 07 Dec 2007

"it showed a popup containing the markup & that was a "special" markup" - no it doesn't. It shows the HTML you are editing.

-- CrawfordCurrie - 07 Dec 2007

"it showed a popup containing the markup & that was a "special" markup" - no it doesn't. It shows the HTML you are editing.

-- CrawfordCurrie - 07 Dec 2007