Re: [Groff] Groff wiki?

[Werner LEMBERG]

> I'd also sound a note of caution, however. My local Linux User Group
> ( http://www.alug.org.uk ) has had a wiki going for some months now,
> and it has unfortunately been vandalised on occasion, [...]
>
> I don't know the best solution to this problem.

Normally, the front page is mildly protected so that you have to
register yourself for editing, while the levels below can be freely
edited.  Most useful is to set up a mailing list which receives all
commitments to the wiki (which won't occur extremely often, I think)
so that a misuse can be easily fixed by reverting to an older version.

> Another, somewhat at the other extreme, would be that it is a
> "moderated" wiki -- people can submit contributions, which would
> normally be nodded through.

I don't like this since it asks for a lot of work to be done by the
moderator, as you already note.

> In any case, it might be a good idea (though I don't know if this
> can be readily arranged on a wiki) that the person who makes a
> contribution should be the only person with "write permissions"
> (apart from the wiki administrators). Not that I'm trying to be
> restrictive for the sake of it here -- but it occurs to me that
> someone reading a piece might think they can "improve" it, and
> promptly do so; with the effect of spoiling it, or worse.  There
> should be some control, by people who have contributed, over what
> happens to their contributions.

Well, even with wikipedia this doesn't happen!  A wiki, by its very
nature, means to be editable by (almost) everyone.

> In any case (as has become apparent to me following the discussion
> on the ALUG wiki), there is a need for regular and frequent back-up
> of the contents, so that things can be rolled back if necessary.

AFAIK, this is done automatically, always part of the wiki.


    Werner