wynode

Just in case you haven't seen it there is a discussion asking for input regarding a possible Ozhonda Wiki in this thread. Actually it was Lloyd that brought iup the idea of a Wiki back in September 2008. However due to a variety of reasons it wasn't brought up again until now.

More to the point, I'm looking at a few different options based on the features of the Wiki itself as well as how it will integrate with the rest of the site. For the first point I would say without any hesitation that MediaWiki is a proven solution and does exactly what is required. The main problem however is that it doesn't integrate with the existing forum (ie searching, linking to etc). vbMedia wiki is another option however I'm concerned about a possible lack of support in the future. The last thing I want is that users create a resource centre via the Wiki and then we find we have to abandon it or more to a new system and manually move all the content across. The third option is VaultWiki which is a bit more commercial (but not necessarily a bad thing). Finally, the vBulletin CMS and its content types are what I am really aiming for, but alas it doesn't sound like vB/Jelsoft/IB (Internet Brands) will be creating a product themselves. Instead they're planing on encouraging developers to create the custom content types. This I find VERY disappointing, but that's another story altogether.

Anyway, here's the breakdown (in no specific order):

(These are more my thoughts and weighing of options more than anything else).

1. MediaWiki
Pros:

• A proven Wiki platform that works. It is used by the Wikipedia Foundation
• Edit history with ability to revert to previous versions
• Referencing capability within Wiki entries

Cons:

• Cannot use the default vB search
• Cannot (to my knowledge) show Wiki stats in the vB user profile
• More work required to get it to work with vB
• The style of the wiki will be different to the rest of the site

2. vBMediaWiki
Pros:

• Full integration with vB (includes searching, stats in user profiles etc).
• Style of wiki and forum will be the same
• Is based on the MediaWiki engine

Cons:

• No guarantee that there will be support in the future
• Might have to move to a new platform with no sure way of importing existing entries (but might be possible since it is based on the MediaWiki engine). Of course this will only happen if support for it is lost
• It relies on the vB database for the user passwords. It does store usernames (I believe) however there is no password storing.

Just on the last point, if for some reason support of vBMediaWiki is lost we could revert to a standard MediaWiki install as per option 1. However that in itself is not a plus and might take a bit of work to get it going/working.

3. VaultWiki
Pros:

• Fully integrates with vB (ie style and access to vB Database)
• Can use default vB search.
• Commercial software with what seems like good support (only forum based support however)

Cons:

• No guarantee that the support will be provided in the future. But I have a bit more faith in VaultWiki being supported over vBMediaWiki
• Only has forum based support and no support ticket system.
• Since it isn't based on the MediaWiki platform there is nothing to 'fall back on if support for VaultWiki ceases.

4. vBulletin CMS (with a custom content type)

Pros:

• Ongoing support will be available via Jelsoft/IB provided that they supply the content type
• Layout, searching consistent and full integration with the rest of the site
• The Sections and Categories for the articles system (not yet implemented on Ozhonda) should tie in with the content types

Cons:

• If the content type is not created by vB and instead another developer, then support would rely on this other developer. However I imagine that once the content type is finalised there will be minimal changes / updates required as we upgrade vBulletin
• No expected date for a Wiki content type. Custom content types won't be ready till vB4.0.4 and even after that it will take a few months (at best) before a Wiki content type is tried, tested and proven. The end of 2010 would be an optimistic date for things to be finalised (in my opinion).

In regards to my comment about the content type under the first "Pros" bullet point the reason I say this is as follows. From what I've been reading on the vB.com forums, it seems like Jelsoft is going to be creating the facility for developers to make their own content type (whether it be for reviews, a Wiki or any other type). I don't see how existing customer will benefit from this. Developers might but existing customers won't. They will then have to get support from the developer (not to mention having to pay an additional cost for using the content type). Poor form Jelsoft/ IB. What happened to providing one application that does what is required? A wiki has been requested for a VERY long time. Surely now is the time given that they have released their CMS and hyped up its capability.

So .... is choosing the right Wiki a debate?

Well probably not a public debate but one that I've been having with myself trying to weight up the options!