Apple’s New Wiki Server is Downright Wikid (Wicked?)
Today the MacEnterprise project will be hosting a live webcast on the Leopard Wiki Server. The MacEnterprise project is a fantastic resource for IT professionals who need to support Macs in the enterprise. Apple’s Senior Product Manager, Nader Nafissi, will provide an overview of the features and services in Mac OS 10.5 Server’s newest collaboration and communication tool.
Unlike a lot of Apple’s bundled open source server tools, the wiki is a homegrown solution. Apple’s engineers have done extraordinary work, which is saying quite a lot considering we are talking about a wiki.
Wikis have been around for a while, and Wikipedia is a household name. After all, my mom reads Wikipedia. Creating an entry, however, is one thing my mom cannot do. But, if she was set up with a shiny new account on an Apple Leopard Server, she could wiki away to her heart’s content.
What sets Apple’s wiki apart from almost all others I’ve looked at is its truly intuitive editing interface. Unlike other wikis, Apple doesn’t have any kind of text-based markup language. The entire site is editable with a Microsoft Office-like formatting toolbar. Granted, this may limit more advanced users, but all the core necessities are there. Font styles, alignment, media file embedding and even a visual table editor are all included in the server. The pages are taggable, auto-generate RSS feeds and come with a variety of editable Apple designed templates. There are a lot of organizations out there that could benefit from the collaborative power of a wiki without the usual complexity.
Finally, a wiki my mom could use. If you haven’t already, check out MacEnterprise’s participant information page to get signed in for the live webcast happening today at 10:00 am PST (1:00 pm EST).
Where can I get the .mp3 version?
Thanks.
There is no audio stream of the event. However, MacEnterprise.org normally posts a video of the event a few weeks after it has aired. Check their WebCast Archives in a month or so.
http://macenterprise.org/content/blogcategory/96/124/
Actually, Apple’s wiki/blog server is based on the open source project Blojsom:
http://wiki.blojsom.com/wiki/display/blojsom/About+blojsom
According to the Blojsom website it appears as if Brent is right. My data came from a conversation with a high-level Apple Systems Engineer, but that doesn’t mean its a fact.
The 10.4 server is Blojsom based. The 10.5 server is home grown.
Anyone have any idea how to add tailor made items to the RSS feed? Seems like it is lacking the author node inside of each item tag out of the box.