computer games forum

jack1974 wrote:Yes I wouldn't want to spend time on that either, even if probably installing it is not a big pain. I'll check if there's some paid solution without ads and then let you know, otherwise probably the only solution is to use wikia

Wikia has certainly cornered the market, haven't they?

Ah well, at least we know what the worst case scenario is

Most hosts have a cpanel or something similar that can automate installing wikis. I wouldn't mind volunteering my time into setting up a wiki if need be.

It sounds like none of us has copious free time to invest, well except maybe Aleema. As someone who isn't a stranger to IT work, I will also say that installing it on your site will at least prevent Wikia from forcing interface changes on you that you don't want in the future. It will even enable you to tweak the wiki interface for something better tailored to your games if you're willing to dig into the code which is open source. If you want to revert something they've already done like the removal of anonymous posting, you could also look up the commit in the git repository that accomplished it, and back out of it, then install the latest code minus that particular commit. Git however can be a bit of a headache for the uninitiated. It's probably easiest to first try working with what Wikia gives you.

I checked on CPanel and have Fantastico (a collection of scripts to install), but strangely doesn't have Mediawiki (only some other less known one like PHPwiki).
I'm mostly concerned about the updating thing... in wordpress/phpbb for example (the software of this forum) you need to keep the installation updated otherwise hackers can make a real mess I know from personal experience, years ago when I just started they replaced the homepage of my site with some curse words (luckily at those times I was mostly unknown!).
Anyway will look at some solutions, worse case I can use my backup server so even if they hack it, not a big loss (there's nothing useful there, I just use it as mirror).

Yep, fixing security exploits is the number one reason to stay on top of updates. If you can make the latest version work without too much pain I'd go with that. While it's possible to back out of individual commits that you don't like for open source packages while leaving in place all the latest security updates, and then build a customized package, that takes a bit more technical know-how, and also more time, at least initially. Once you have it down, it's possible to automate the process however with a bit of scripting, at least until they decide to update the bit of code you reverted, and then you have to manually decide on how much of the new update if any you want to apply.

A quick search shows there is any number of sites which offer free or paid wiki hosting:
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=wiki+hosting

That said, I do not know any of the companies, or how good they are. And when I set up a guild forum (now closed) way back when, I needed several attempts because the first provider made it possible to register a forum, but it was not useable. The second provider had too slow a server, which caused the members to complain. (With every reason!) Only the third solution was halfway useable, though any kind of administration work was a pain. Long story short: Using a random provider from a seach may or may not work out. Maybe setting up your own wiki is the better route, as you have already the servers.

If you have a wiki, I wil be happy to contribute. But I would not want to be the administrator.

Yes I think I'll probably go the route to install it myself on a new server. I wanted to get another one as backup anyway, as long as it's not on my main site (for security reasons) it will be fine. Most companies do daily backups so even if gets hacked, I can just restore previous day backup and would lose only the last 24h changes which is acceptable, and most importantly the main site is safe
Once I've setup everything will update this thread!

OK here it is!
http://www.aravorn.com
I registered a domain for it, thought was nicer than using a subdomain I've just installed the thing but I have no clue how to use it, but I guess people can already log-in and contribute? if Aleema wants to become a mod once she is registered I'll promote her (I suppose works in a similar way as PhpBB).

Keeping it separate from your main site is a good idea. And daily backups are more than many other wikis end up doing.

But yes, I imagine content will be added to it rather quickly. Although don't be too surprised if there will have to be some rearranging, etc...at least until the wiki gets beyond a bare bones stage.

Well as said I don't have much time, and I think is better for everyone if I use my time to make new games so if anyone wants to take care of it, the layout, rearranging, etc is more than welcome. I just did an entry copying the map and some info from the post I made in the forums to make sure it was working