In-place collective editing is probably the issue with which people are most uncomfortable. The idea that someone can edit your text doesn't fit into the publication model we're so used to on the Web. However, if you think of your screen as a whiteboard, it doesn't seem so alien. After all, if you and your colleagues are using a whiteboard to collaborate on a problem, then you share the board. Things are added, deleted, and modified, and what's left is the essence of your collaboration.

Wiki simply takes the whiteboard a step further. Now you can create as many boards as you like at any time. Automating links to other pages, as well as Wiki's automatic recognition of URLs, allow you to concentrate on your task. You mention the page (the mechanics are explained later in the article), and it gets linked in or created as necessary. This is especially useful on Palm devices, as it reduces the amount of pen entry and navigation you have to do.

Wiki philosophy
Wiki philosophy has been described in terms of a Japanese design aesthetic called wabi-sabi. Wabi-sabi cherishes that which is incomplete, impermanent, and imperfect, values that which is modest and humble, and sees beauty in the unconventional. Wabi-sabi also has links with the Zen Bhuddist philosophy of wu-wei, which is the concept of restraint or "not-doing."

Wiki on Palm devices
To use Wiki on a Palm device, you need a TCP/IP connection to the Internet and a simple Web browser. I used a 9600bps Option GSM modem on my Pilot IIIx with the free PalmScape browser. Alternatively, you can also use your PC and a browser if you don't have a modem on your Palm device. Next, you need a Wiki to point to. There are plenty to choose from, but in case you're uncertain about editing someone's data, I've set up one you can experiment with called PilotWiki. The home page of PilotWiki is shown in Figure A, as it looks with the PalmScape browser.

FIGURE A

You can edit someone's data, and have your data edited as well.

The links come in two flavors: ordinary underlined words and shorter, reference-style numbers, which are great for long URLs (as in the Pilot WebRing links). You can also see at the bottom of the page the links for editing this page, going to the index, searching for text, and viewing the pages that link to this one.

Creating a page on PilotWiki
Let's begin by creating a new home page. This is done by first creating a reference to the new page in an existing page. As your home page doesn't yet exist, it'll be created when the existing page is saved. In this example, I've chosen the transcript page as our start point. If you select the edit link on the transcript page, a form should open. At the bottom of the form, add a line with your name in square brackets (I used PalmPower Demo as my name) and submit the form. You may have to refresh the transcript page, but you'll see that your name now appears as a link. If you select that link, you'll see that you have a new empty home page.