Preface
In 2001, Wikipedia changed the world by proving that thousands of strangers could collaborate to produce a valuable information resource. Encyclopedia publishers shuddered. Skeptics scoffed. And in the meantime, users around the world have produced millions of Wikipedia articles.
Wikipedia was not the first wiki,[1] but it’s clearly the most successful, largely due to its powerful software, MediaWiki.
This book is about making MediaWiki work for you, whether you plan to read wikis, write and edit articles, or install and run your own MediaWiki site.
Who Should Read This Book?
This book serves four audiences:
- Wiki readers
Anyone who reads Wikipedia or other wikis running MediaWiki software.
- Wiki authors
Anyone who writes or edits wiki articles.
- Wiki sysops
Authors with special privileges for maintaining the wiki.
- Wiki administrators
System administrators and programmers who install, configure, and run MediaWiki on a server.
Roadmap
Part I of this book is dedicated to wiki readers, explaining how to navigate a MediaWiki site effectively. Part II focuses on authors, and discusses how to write and edit wiki articles, beginning with the basics and moving to more complex tasks. Part III is for administrators and programmers. We’ll cover how to install and maintain a MediaWiki site, how to configure its many settings, and how to program your own features, called MediaWiki extensions.
Conventions Used in This Book
The following typographical conventions are used in this book:
- Italic
Indicates new ...