There's an open source project called Wikifilter ( http://www.ipbwiki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=319) that will take an exported file from a MediaWiki and make it run on a computer not connected to the internet. It does, however, require that the computer be running web server software to deliver the web pages to the browser (such as Microsoft's free IIS or the free Apache) so it's not like "xxxx for Dummies" easy but it certainly can work.

-Peter

On Tue, May 4, 2010 at 10:03 AM, Mike South <msouth@gmail.com> wrote:

> On Tue, May 4, 2010 at 11:34 AM, Karl Wolz <wolzphoto@q.com> wrote: > > That'll make searching a PITA. Nothing wrong with duplicate info. If > done > > properly, this project should provide a one-stop location for all matters > > Vanagon, including Vanagon Rescue info. It could be downloadable to a > DVD > > and carried in the glovebox. > > That's an excellent idea. It would be tremendously optimistic to > think that we are going to be "the" place for all of that information, > but it's a good goal to strive for. Whoever is currently maintaining > the Rescue list may not agree to let us use the information that way. > It's possible that we could set up some kind of mirroring, but then > you get into the issue of whether your copy has been added to, etc. > > I would say that we should probably start by seeing what we can get > going, with an eye toward one day being "the thing you want on DVD in > your glovebox". If we end up being that thing, then it will be > natural for people to either willingly contribute their data to the > wiki or there will be enough momentum at that point that it won't > matter because information can be reproduced or replaced by the > community. > > I think the SocialText wiki was experimenting with an offline mode a > while back, but I don't know where it ended up (I believe mediawiki is > php with a mysql backend which might make it hard to get into offline > format--but maybe someone has already done the work of spidering and > caching a mediawiki to disk? Seems like we can't be the only ones > that have wanted that capability.) > > Perhaps we should ask the question of downloadability before we add a > bunch of content to a wiki that would make it hard to do that. > Information about "elderly automobiles that people take to the > boonies" is definitely in a different class than other information in > the sense of how important downloadability is! > > mike > > > > > > Links are fine, and should be included, but a complete guide would be > > better. > > > > Karl Wolz > > > > | > > |That's great. One good policy for our wiki would be to not duplicate > > |anything on any other wiki anywhere, as long as that wiki is open for > > |improvements. No point in wasting time repeating the information when > > |all we have to contribute is a little extra piece. Better to > > |contribute that little extra piece to the wiki that has it most of the > > |way there, and link. > > | > > |> > > > > >