Wiki source code of Second Generation Wiki
Last modified by Eleni Cojocariu on 2026/08/13 16:48
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| 1 | A first generation wiki is focused on **content**. A second generation wiki adds **[[structure>>doc:documentation.xs.dev.data-model.WebHome]]**: the same Pages also hold typed data, which turns them into applications. | ||
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| 3 | XWiki is a second generation wiki, so a single wiki holds both your notes and the applications your team runs on. | ||
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| 5 | |=Generation|=Focused on|=What you get | ||
| 6 | |First|Content|[[Page editing>>doc:documentation.xs.user.base.page.edit-page.WebHome]], [[version control>>doc:documentation.xs.user.base.page.view.view-history.WebHome]], [[rights>>doc:documentation.xs.admin.rights.WebHome]], [[search>>extensions:Extension.Search Application]] and [[exports>>doc:documentation.xs.user.exports.WebHome]]. | ||
| 7 | |Second|Structure and applications|Ready-made applications such as the [[Blog>>extensions:Extension.Blog Application.WebHome]], the [[File Manager>>extensions:Extension.File Manager Application]], [[Meetings>>extensions:Extension.Meeting Application]], [[Forums>>extensions:Extension.ForumApplication.WebHome]] and the [[Task Manager>>extensions:Extension.Task Manager Application]], plus the ones you build yourself with [[App Within Minutes>>extensions:Extension.App Within Minutes Application]]. | ||
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| 9 | == Why it matters == | ||
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| 11 | Most of the small applications a team needs are never built: developing one the traditional way costs more than the problem is worth, and by the time it ships the need has moved on. Chris Anderson's [[Long Tail>>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_tail]] describes that same shape. | ||
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| 13 | {{image reference="xwiki-long-tail.png" size="large" alt="A long tail chart of application cost against number of applications, with a small red area covered by the standard development process and a much larger yellow tail labelled as XWiki's market" caption="Applying the Long Tail to application development."/}} | ||
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| 15 | The red area is what conventional development covers. The yellow tail, far larger, is the applications that are too small or needed too quickly to justify it. A second generation wiki puts that tail within reach of the people who need it. |
