How many of you use core TiddlyWIki?

[Casey]

With the plethora of awesome customized versions of tiddlywiki.... I'm wondering how many of you use just the core version of tiddly wiki? My fear with using some of the customized ones is that they are awesome for a few months until they are no longer updated.

Does anyone share these same fears? Who else out there is only using TiddlyWIki core?

I'm a new tiddlywiki user and just getting started. Its awesome to have a lot of options, but I'm just not sure where to invest my time.

[Darek Bobak]

The core (with some third-party plugins) TiddlyWiki user here. And mostly because of the same fears as yours. I don't quite believe in the stability and long-time developement of the customised versions of TW.

best,

Darek

[Thomas Elmiger]

Same here. At first I used the core version only. Then I began to fix some things I did not like using CSS only. Writing my own extensions – first macros, later plugins and themes – made me feel safe, knowing exactly what was going on. Every time I had to overwrite core stuff, I did it with bad conscience, out of fear that I might get problems with the next versions.

Recently I learned that even a CSS-only approach is not safe. Core-updates might (did) change HTML structure and thus break CSS optimisations.

On the other hand: When you have built a solution that works for you, you don’t have to upgrade. A TiddlyWiki can work for decades without any updates.

[tony]

>... I'm just not sure where to invest my time.

I use core as well with minimal set-up - no fields, limited plugins to future-proof parsing down the road to another system if browser dependency someday breaks. 

But there are so many cool things that it is hard not to try/play :-) and if you think of TiddlyWiki as a document as well as a database, quine, SPA et al, you can have as many different forms you want: a template wiki,  playground testing wiki, project wiki, subject matter wikipedia-type wiki, wikiwiki, etc The import/export is mature and versatile to port amongst and beyond.

If I want to try something new, i template empty.html by tagging nifty imported stuff that works well with a tag like TwAddOn. That way I can export - import to a new iteration as needed. Even though i also use another wiki, TiddlyWiki is so fast for prototyping and the learning curve/self-contained interoperability is waay lower than setting up LAMP and trying to send that by email to a friend :-)  Well worth the time to play with.

The nice thing is TiddlyWiki has stood the test of time and remains fresh with great helpful experts/enthusiasts/community and surprisingly refreshingly progressive upgrades/updates from Jeremy et al.

Have fun, 

another tony

[Saq Imtiaz]

On the other hand: When you have built a solution that works for you, you don’t have to upgrade. A TiddlyWiki can work for decades without any updates.

I think this the key thing. You don't need to update to future versions of the core if you are happy with your setup.

I am in the same boat as Thomas, I use the core plus my own plugins.

I think a common complication for vertical editions (customized versions of TiddlyWiki) is that quite often, the publisher of the edition is not the one who wrote all the components, nor has the expertise to update them when needed. We have actually yet to have a well organized and documented edition, that was properly hosted on github (or similar), allowing for the community to help out with updates and bug reports. In some part I think this is a reflection of the demographic of the community.

[TW Tones]

Casey,

Personally I call empty.html the "minimalist version", I would prefer a "standard edition" be officially released with a few simple customisations so the new users don't start totally raw.

I believe empty.html should only be used by experienced users building a new solution from the ground up.

The following is a summary of how I understand and use the concepts of empty.html and editions. Understanding this means I have no fears as you expressed but a strategies to optimise my use.

Because there is no standard edition, I have made my own, but for ease of use I have built a Bookmarklet (Favourite containing java-script)  that I click and it changes settings and adds some tools I like, on every wiki. I do this when I visit tiddlywiki.com. I do not include plugins so I need not save and reload on read only wikis.

The alternatives to empty, or a personal standard edition is below, a comprehensive list as I see it.

• empty.html
• Standard edition (does not exist)
• Customisation - personal "standard edition" (my bookmarklet)
• a "published edition"  eg like stroll, and many others
• a Bespoke edition (Build up by with selected plugins and macros)
• A personal template edition.
• A Playground edition
• Demo sites
• Plugin editions

Published editions

• These are a way for someone to package a suite of tools in a "pre-made" edition. ie already packaged, for you by someone.
• Some are just putting together otherwise published tools (you could replicate your self, but it demonstrates something)
• Others are published tools and bespoke changes
• Published editions a great way for people who do not make plugins to package a solution they have designed
• If a published edition is up-gradable, often is, all depends on the way the author built it
• Why upgrade if it works?
• Test upgrade if you want and if it does not work let the author know.

Bespoke editions

• Not really and addition at all, build from empty.html for a purpose
• Can make into a Personal template edition
• many plugins work well together, it is often clear when they won't because they change common aspects of the one wiki.

Personal template editions.

• Build your own template editions from "bespoke editions" and use these to generate new wikis, 
• usually a few for different purposes
• May be based on other editions

Playground editions

• You can have your own for experimenting
• But I published one here https://anthonymuscio.github.io/playground.html
• Has local storage installed so you can add plugins and reload
• All changes remain in the browser

Demo sites

• t is common practice for plugin and macro developers to publish a demo site
• You can actually download these and use it as a starting edition.

Plugin editions

• Ideally anyone building an addition could build a plugin or JSON file of all the components that turns empty.html into a custom edition.

In closing

I have a range of methods to manage multiple wikis, shared and installable features too involved to document here.

I am more likely to extract methods used in Published editions than I am to use the edition, to make my own. But then I have being in the tiddlyverse for a while now.

Regards

Tony

[PMario]

On Friday, September 11, 2020 at 10:27:58 PM UTC+2, Thomas Elmiger wrote:

On the other hand: When you have built a solution that works for you, you don’t have to upgrade. A TiddlyWiki can work for decades without any updates.

+1 That's the point. If you don't need the new functionality, and you are happy with your version, why change it?

TW ControlPanel : Info : Basic tab has some info about tiddlers the wiki contains.

The last one: Number of overridden shadow tiddlers: is what you need to have a closer look at. If you click the link, it will open all tiddlers that you changed from the core or from plugins.

If you want to try a new core version you'll have to have a closer look to them. That's basically it.

--------------

Tiddlywiki versions are "hard to kill". If you have a look at: https://classic.tiddlywiki.com/archive/firstversion.html you'll see the very first TWclassic version. It's from 2004 and it still works. .. I would like to see a MS Word document from 2004 opened in a recent computer.

There is a 2nd Version too ;)

have fun!

mario

[talha131]

I  use the TW core version.

I also try to make sure I use as little third party plugins as possible. Right now, I only have the ReLink plugin that is not in the core. Other plugins like Katex and Highlight are in the core.

You do not have to worry about a TW edition's lack of upgrades because it will not stop working. The real issue is the bugs. If an edition is bug-free and suits your needs, then you should use it.

My motivation for using the core is to learn the customization process so that down the line, I can create my personal TiddlyWiki edition.

[Ed Dixon]

I too try to stay with the core as much as possible. I agree with Talha131 on this as it does describe my situation here pretty well.

I no longer have the capacity to make extensive changes or adjust things for many of the awesome addons being produced to my needs due to brain damage but I do appreciate the hard work that goes into them. However prior to the brain surgeries, I used a lot of them and some became staples that I still find I can not get by with out.  I am using this primarially as a daily journal, photo album, and as a way to get memories back that were lost to me in all this. Some of those life defining moments were extreemly special to me and it us amazing to me that they were lost ever! Now that I have them again I am so thankful I even made the attempt (for me this was not easy). It has proven to be very useful in so many ways towards that goal!

A simple calendar and a way to create visual links and time lines are all that I really add. Tobias Calendar and Felix's tiddlymap along with the now included jounal which has been added to the core (so greatful for that!) are what I use so just those 2 plugins for me but, they are very essential to what I am doing specificly. Tiddlymap because it allows me to see realtionships visually and helps me understand how alot of these moments and memories link together. You can not remember what you have forgotten is such an understatment when they really are gone but, for me when I see those breaks in the chain sometimes my mind will bring those memories back which leads to even many more related to that one back. I have always had a huge appreciation for tiddlymap but so much more so now! THANK YOU FELIX!). It also helps me keep an eye on my own thought processes when used with the daily journal so if an issue is identified that I was not aware of, I can see it and work on it with my providers. I originally got involved with TiddlyWiki5 when I was teaching and used Tiddlymap for mind mapping prior to this so using that managed to stick.

I am pretty sure we all have special use cases that require some customizations and plugins (even I do so thats a pretty safe bet) but if it were possible to have all that capability I definitly wouldn't want to add anything not essential to my needs. I know I am missing out on a lot of added new functiionality even from the core that could potentially help me like backlinks and other things I have been reading about here on the forums that sound so exciting and I could definitly use a calendar with a bit more funcitonality (such as adding links to the date cells from the daily jounals so I can see when an entry was made) but I have to keep it simple. The simpler the better and I can always look at the history to get to those prior entries.

To me this is the beauty of Jerrmey's creation here, the flexability provided and I know he always has one eye on that as he works towards trying to make it meet as many use cases as possible while not breaking backwards comaptability or of course the core itself LOL. It is truly a work of art as much as anything else! 

So in short No but would love too!

[Birthe C]

Hi Ed,

Thank you for your post. I have often thought about if tiddlywiki could have a use for exactly the kind of problem you describe so well. So glad you are able to use your wiki for something so important.

Please do not misunderstand the following! Maybe we should all have a wiki like Eds wiki. We know nothing about our own tomorrow, things happen...and if we are lucky, we get older and forget more and at the same time loose a lot of the people we used to share our memories with.

A wiki to help remember what we cannot remember without - and to be ourselves more (clumpsy way to put it, I know).

Birthe

[Ste]

I just grab those plugins... Gotta catch em all..

[Birthe C]

Me too. ;-)