What's a wiki?

A wiki appears to the user just like any other web site. However, behind the scenes there is software which makes it easier for the person maintaining the web site (at present Richard White, and perhaps others in due course) to make additions and changes. This is the main reason why I have switched to the use of a wiki instead of an ordinary web site. See Wikipedia's own explanation of what a wiki is, and what it has to do with shuttle buses at Honolulu airport.

Advantages and disadvantages of the use of our chosen wiki software¹⁾ include:

• For the reader:
  • Automatic page layout rearrangements for small devices.
  • Various aids to navigation are automatically provided, including
    • table of contents for finding your way within large pages,
    • trace and hierarchical page grouping information to help you find your way around the pages, and
    • a search box if you are totally lost.
  • You can sign up to be notified by email when pages are changed
• For the editor:
  • No need to know HTML.
  • Editing can be done in any web browser, there is no need for any special editing and file transfer software to be installed, so editing can be done anywhere on any computer, even on tablets and phones.
  • Consistent page layout is produced automatically.
  • Footnotes like this²⁾ and other features can be created very easily.
  • There are some restrictions on formatting, such as the inability to use italic and other font features in headings.