Add c2 wiki origins research (Ward Cunningham, terms, use cases)

Explores WikiWikiWeb beginnings: design principles, social conventions, navigation vocabulary, and documented use cases. Federation explicitly deferred to a later research track.
2026-06-08 14:05:59 +02:00
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 |-------|-------|
 | Code | Python package scaffold (`src/shard_wiki/`, smoke tests only) |
 | Intent | `INTENT.md` established; authorization-in-core amendments drafted |
-| Research | yawex prior-art exploration (`research/260608-yawex-prior-art/`) |
+| Research | yawex prior art; c2 wiki origins (`research/260608-*/`) |
 | Demand | NetKingdom integration asks captured, not yet negotiated |
 | Spec | Access/history architecture blueprint drafted; PRD/TSD/UCC scaffolds |
 | Work | `SHARD-WP-0001` active — 6 design tasks, all todo |
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+# 260608 — c2 wiki origins (Ward Cunningham)
+
+Date: 2026-06-08
+
+## What this is
+
+Research into the beginnings of the wiki movement through Ward Cunningham,
+the Portland Pattern Repository, and the original **WikiWikiWeb** at c2.com.
+
+Focus: popular terms, social conventions, and documented use cases from and
+about the c2 wiki. **Federation is explicitly out of scope** for this
+exploration (separate research planned).
+
+## Contents
+
+| Path | Role |
+|------|------|
+| `findings.md` | Terms glossary, use-case catalog, design principles, sources |
+
+## Status
+
+Initial exploration complete. Findings may inform `spec/` and future
+workplans; not yet promoted to specification.
--- a/research/260608-c2-wiki-origins/findings.md
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+# Findings — Ward Cunningham, c2 wiki, and wiki movement origins
+
+Date: 2026-06-08 · Status: research draft
+
+Scope: beginnings of the wiki movement via the **WikiWikiWeb** (c2.com) and
+its creator **Ward Cunningham**. Emphasis on terms and use cases documented
+in and about the c2 wiki. **Federation concepts are out of scope here.**
+
+---
+
+## 1. Historical anchor
+
+| Fact | Detail |
+|------|--------|
+| First wiki | WikiWikiWeb — launched **25 March 1995** on c2.com |
+| Creator | Ward Cunningham (Cunningham & Cunningham, Portland, Oregon) |
+| Companion site | [Portland Pattern Repository](http://c2.com/ppr/) (PPR) |
+| PPR motto | **"People, Projects & Patterns"** |
+| Original software | Perl CGI script named `wiki`; later called **WikiBase** |
+| Intellectual roots | HyperCard stacks (late 1980s); pattern languages (Cunningham & Beck, OOPSLA 1987, inspired by Christopher Alexander) |
+| Name origin | Hawaiian *wiki* = "quick"; *wiki wiki* = "very quick" — from Honolulu airport Wiki Wiki Shuttle |
+| Intended name alternative | "QuickWeb" rejected in favor of **WikiWikiWeb** as more fun to say |
+| Capital-W convention | **Wiki** (capital W) = this original site; lowercase *wiki* = the technology genre |
+
+Ward's stated purpose (WikiHistory, 2002): make exchange of ideas between
+programmers easier. The wiki was an **automated supplement** to the Portland
+Pattern Repository, not a replacement encyclopedia.
+
+By 2015 the site went read-only after vandalism; Ward migrated toward
+Federated Wiki. That later history is **not** covered here.
+
+---
+
+## 2. What c2 said it was for (primary use cases)
+
+From **WelcomeVisitors**, **WikiHistory**, and community self-description:
+
+### Core mission use cases
+
+1. **Pattern exchange** — publish, discuss, and refine software design patterns
+   (the PPR mission).
+2. **People + projects + patterns** — connect practitioners, project experience,
+   and reusable design knowledge (`PeopleProjectsAndPatterns`).
+3. **Idea exchange among programmers** — fast, lightweight collaborative
+   writing; "a forum where people share ideas."
+4. **Informal history of programming ideas** — accumulated narrative, not a
+   formal reference work (`InformalHistoryOfProgrammingIdeas`).
+5. **Distillation of experience into patterns** — thread discussions refined
+   into document-mode consensus, sometimes culminating in patterns
+   (`ThreadMode` → `DocumentMode` → `PatternMode`).
+
+### Community / onboarding use cases
+
+6. **First wiki experience** — deliberate onboarding path for newcomers
+   (`WelcomeVisitors`, `NewUserPages`, `WikiWikiSandbox`).
+7. **Sandbox experimentation** — safe place to learn editing mechanics.
+8. **Visitor presence** — sign the guest book (`RecentVisitors`).
+9. **Culture acclimation** — expect `CultureShock`; learn local conventions
+   before adding pages.
+
+### Knowledge maintenance use cases
+
+10. **Self-indexing** — wiki indexes itself; community maintains structure
+    (`VolunteerHousekeeper`, categories, road maps).
+11. **Activity awareness** — follow what changed (`RecentChanges`,
+    `QuickChanges`, `RecentChangesJunkie`).
+12. **Discovery** — browse by search, categories, random pages, visual tour,
+    like-pages, starting points.
+13. **Refactoring pages** — merge thread into document, split tangents,
+    improve clarity (`ReFactoring`, `WikiMaster` role).
+14. **Work-in-progress knowledge** — all content explicitly provisional
+    (`WorkInProgress`).
+
+### What c2 explicitly said it was *not*
+
+- **Not Wikipedia** — subjective, conversational, not a dedicated reference
+  site (`WikiIsNotWikipedia`, `WikiPedia` as pointer to the real Wikipedia).
+- **Not a polished encyclopedia** — "Most of all, this is a forum where
+  people share ideas!"
+
+### Subject areas the community grew into (approximate eras, WikiHistory)
+
+| Era | Dominant topics on c2 |
+|-----|----------------------|
+| 1994+ | Patterns, sources, application |
+| 1996+ | General design, architecture, methods |
+| 1997+ | People and organizational aspects of programming |
+| 1998+ | Extreme Programming |
+| 2000+ | Wiki itself (meta-discussion) |
+
+Popular page clusters noted by observers: **DesignPatterns**, **ExtremeProgramming**, **TestDrivenDevelopment**, **AgileManifesto**, **UnitTest**, **AntiPattern**, build tools, languages, organizational culture.
+
+---
+
+## 3. Ward's WikiDesignPrinciples (1995 intent)
+
+From Ward Cunningham's reconstructed **WikiDesignPrinciples** page:
+
+| Principle | Meaning |
+|-----------|---------|
+| **Open** | Incomplete or poorly organized pages may be edited by any reader |
+| **Incremental** | Pages cite other pages, including ones not yet written |
+| **Organic** | Site structure is editable and evolves like page text |
+| **Mundane** | Small number of irregular text conventions for markup |
+| **Universal** | Editing and organizing use the same mechanisms as writing |
+| **Overt** | Formatted output suggests the input needed to reproduce it |
+| **Unified** | Page names from a flat namespace — no extra context to interpret |
+| **Precise** | Titles are precise noun phrases to avoid name clashes |
+| **Tolerant** | Interpretable behavior preferred over error messages |
+| **Observable** | Site activity can be watched and reviewed by any visitor |
+| **Convergent** | Duplication discouraged by finding and citing related content |
+
+Ward later noted additional forced principles (e.g. server robustness) beyond
+the original eleven.
+
+---
+
+## 4. Popular terms glossary
+
+Terms below are **CamelCase page names** as used on c2 unless noted.
+
+### Wiki mechanics & naming
+
+| Term | Meaning on c2 |
+|------|---------------|
+| **Wiki** / **WikiWikiWeb** | The first wiki site; capital-W Wiki = this site specifically |
+| **WikiBase** | The Perl wiki engine behind c2 |
+| **WikiWord** / **WikiWords** | MixedCase token the engine treats as a hyperlink |
+| **WikiName** / **WikiNames** | Page title / link target (often built from WikiWords) |
+| **MixedCase** / **CamelCase** | CapitalizedWordsRunTogether → automatic link |
+| **TextFormattingRules** | Minimal markup conventions (paragraphs, bold, links) |
+| **EditText** / **EditCopy** | Core edit operations |
+| **Undefined page** / **red link** | `PageName?` with `?` — page does not exist yet; click to create |
+| **Flat namespace** | All page names in one space (no hierarchical paths) |
+
+### Content modes (social conventions, not software features)
+
+| Term | Meaning |
+|------|---------|
+| **DocumentMode** | Third-person, unsigned, community-owned text; consensus artifact |
+| **ThreadMode** | Signed, first-person discussion; conversation thread |
+| **PatternMode** | Distilled pattern statements from converged discussion |
+| **OpeningStatement** | Strong initial claim/question that frames a page |
+| **SignedDocumentMode** | Hybrid: document-like but attributed |
+| **ThreadModeConsideredHarmful** | Community norm pushing toward document mode |
+| **InFavorOfDissertation** | Ward's preference for essay-like pages over dialog |
+
+### Roles & community behavior
+
+| Term | Meaning |
+|------|---------|
+| **WikiMaster** | Person who refactors threads into documents (anyone can be one) |
+| **VolunteerHousekeeper** | Community members who maintain indexes and hygiene |
+| **RecentChangesJunkie** | Person who obsessively monitors RecentChanges |
+| **InvitedAuthors** | Early contributors who bootstrapped site culture |
+| **GoodStyle** | Ward's editing advice: factual, concrete, civil, flow over chronology |
+| **ReFactoring** / **RefactorMercilessly** | Rewrite pages for clarity; merge/split threads |
+| **RefactorDontDelete** | Prefer refactoring over deletion |
+| **CultureShock** | Newcomer disorientation from wiki norms |
+
+### Navigation & derived views
+
+| Term | Meaning |
+|------|---------|
+| **RecentChanges** | Chronological edit log — central community nerve center |
+| **QuickChanges** | Short-form recent changes |
+| **RecentEdits** | Minor edits stream |
+| **NotSoRecentChanges** | Older change archives |
+| **FindPage** | Search |
+| **LikePages** | Similar-title suggestions |
+| **RandomPages** | Serendipitous browse |
+| **VisualTour** | Graphical browse aid |
+| **StartingPoints** | Curated entry paths |
+| **WikiCategories** / **RoadMaps** | Community-maintained indexes |
+| **PeopleIndex** / **RecentVisitors** | Who participates |
+| **BackLinks** | Pages linking here (classic derived view) |
+| **AllPages** / **SiteMap** / **SearchPage** | Core derived pages (also present in yawex prior art) |
+| **SisterSites** | Links to other wikis |
+
+### Pattern & programming vocabulary (c2's dominant content)
+
+| Term | Meaning |
+|------|---------|
+| **Pattern** / **DesignPatterns** | Reusable design solution in context |
+| **AntiPattern** | Common bad solution |
+| **ProtoPattern** | Pattern-in-formation |
+| **PortlandPatternRepository** | Pattern submission/distribution site |
+| **PeopleProjectsAndPatterns** | c2's thematic focus |
+| **ExtremeProgramming** / **AgileManifesto** | Major c2 discourse topics (late 1990s–2000s) |
+| **CrcCards** | Design technique; also spawned from Ward's HyperCard work |
+
+### Meta & identity pages
+
+| Term | Meaning |
+|------|---------|
+| **WorkInProgress** | Nothing is finished; everything editable |
+| **WikiIsNotWikipedia** | Identity boundary vs encyclopedic wikis |
+| **WhyWikiWorks** / **WhyWikiWorksNot** | Community theory of success/failure |
+| **WikiZen** | Cultural / philosophical reflection |
+| **WikiOnWiki** | Meta-discussion about wiki itself (sometimes controversial) |
+
+---
+
+## 5. Documented editing & collaboration patterns
+
+From **ThreadMode**, **DocumentMode**, **GoodStyle**, **WhyWikiWorks**:
+
+### ThreadMode contributions (ADD / EDIT / SPLIT / CAPTURE)
+
+1. **ADD** — append signed comment to continue conversation.
+2. **EDIT** — improve flow of others' signed comments (with care).
+3. **SPLIT** — separate tangents onto new pages with summary links.
+4. **CAPTURE** — distill converging ideas into anonymous pattern paragraphs.
+
+### DocumentMode lifecycle
+
+- Page opens with strong **OpeningStatement**.
+- Feedback arrives in ThreadMode.
+- On consensus, a **WikiMaster** (or anyone) replaces thread with
+  DocumentMode synthesis.
+- Newcomers are expected to **rewrite** unclear passages rather than stack
+  clarifying replies.
+
+### WhyWikiWorks (community theory)
+
+Paradoxical strengths cited on c2:
+
+- Anyone can delete anything → only meaningful content survives curation.
+- Low WYSIWYG appeal → filters out drive-by noise; participants self-select.
+- Slow, considered edits → pages evolve over days/weeks.
+- Pedantic community → shared professional camaraderie.
+- "Insecure, indiscriminate, user-hostile, slow" — yet it worked *because*
+  other online communities optimized differently.
+
+---
+
+## 6. Technical & formatting conventions (original c2)
+
+From Ward's etymology correspondence and c2 pages:
+
+- **Double conventions as formatting clues:**
+  - double carriage-return → new paragraph
+  - double single-quote → italic
+  - double capitalized-word (CamelCase) → hyperlink
+- **Flat page namespace** — precise noun-phrase titles.
+- **Minimal markup** — "mundane" rules; overt correspondence between input
+  and rendered output.
+- **Optional attribution** — `UserName` (2000+) to attach edits to a name
+  instead of IP; signing in ThreadMode remained common.
+- **Deletion** — supported but culturally discouraged vs refactoring
+  (`RefactorDontDelete`).
+
+---
+
+## 7. Use-case patterns worth naming (synthesis)
+
+Grouping c2-documented uses into reusable patterns:
+
+| ID | Use-case pattern | c2 evidence |
+|----|------------------|-------------|
+| UC-C2-01 | **Quick idea capture** | Wiki = quick web; incremental linking to unwritten pages |
+| UC-C2-02 | **Collaborative glossary** | Flat namespace of precise terms; WikiWords as vocabulary |
+| UC-C2-03 | **Discussion → consensus doc** | ThreadMode → DocumentMode refactoring |
+| UC-C2-04 | **Pattern mining** | Thread → PatternMode distillation |
+| UC-C2-05 | **Community guest book** | RecentVisitors, people pages |
+| UC-C2-06 | **Change radar** | RecentChanges / QuickChanges monitoring |
+| UC-C2-07 | **Self-curating knowledge base** | Open editing + convergent deduplication |
+| UC-C2-08 | **Sandbox learning** | WikiWikiSandbox for safe first edits |
+| UC-C2-09 | **Serendipitous browse** | RandomPages, VisualTour, LikePages |
+| UC-C2-10 | **Practitioner field notes** | InformalHistoryOfProgrammingIdeas, not encyclopedia |
+| UC-C2-11 | **Team memory for methods** | XP, TDD, patterns, tools discourse |
+| UC-C2-12 | **Soft creation of missing topics** | Red-link `?` pages created on first write |
+
+---
+
+## 8. Boundaries for shard-wiki (light notes, not federation)
+
+Items from c2 origins that align with existing `INTENT.md` themes **without**
+entering federation design:
+
+- **Open editing + recoverable history** — c2 trusted the community; shard-wiki
+  INTENT makes Git history the safety net (stronger than c2's soft norms).
+- **WorkInProgress** — matches overlay/provenance/freshness thinking.
+- **Mechanism over policy** — c2 used social conventions (DocumentMode,
+  GoodStyle) rather than hard gates; shard-wiki keeps policy configurable.
+- **Not an encyclopedia** — c2's `WikiIsNotWikipedia` parallels shard-wiki not
+  owning universal ontology.
+- **Derived views** — BackLinks, RecentChanges, AllPages, SiteMap, Search were
+  first-class on c2; already flagged in yawex research as union-view candidates.
+- **Flat namespace + CamelCase links** — original c2 model; shard-wiki is
+  Markdown-first (wikilink extension question remains open).
+
+**Deferred:** Federated Wiki, sister sites, multi-wiki configuration — separate
+research track.
+
+---
+
+## 9. Sources
+
+| Source | URL / location |
+|--------|----------------|
+| Ward — WikiHistory | https://wiki.c2.com/?WikiHistory (archive 2002) |
+| Ward — WikiDesignPrinciples | https://wiki.c2.com/?WikiDesignPrinciples (archive 2002) |
+| Ward — etymology correspondence | https://c2.com/doc/etymology.html |
+| WelcomeVisitors | https://wiki.c2.com/?WelcomeVisitors (archive 2002) |
+| DocumentMode | https://wiki.c2.com/?DocumentMode (archive 2002) |
+| ThreadMode | https://wiki.c2.com/?ThreadMode (archive 2002) |
+| GoodStyle | https://wiki.c2.com/?GoodStyle (archive 2002) |
+| WhyWikiWorks | https://wiki.c2.com/?WhyWikiWorks (archive 2002) |
+| RecentChanges | https://wiki.c2.com/?RecentChanges (archive 2002) |
+| Wikipedia — WikiWikiWeb | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WikiWikiWeb |
+| Wikipedia — Portland Pattern Repository | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland_Pattern_Repository |
+| Observer summary — T.J. Maher (2016) | https://www.tjmaher.com/2016/06/time-capsule-ward-cunninghams-wiki-wiki.html |
+
+---
+
+## 10. Open questions (for later spec work)
+
+1. Which c2 **social conventions** (DocumentMode, GoodStyle, WikiMaster
+   refactoring) belong in shard-wiki core vs reference UI vs `wiki/` content?
+2. How much of the **flat CamelCase namespace** survives in a Markdown-first,
+   path-oriented federation model?
+3. Which **derived views** from c2 are MVP for an orchestrator vs adapter-provided?
+4. Does shard-wiki want an explicit **WorkInProgress / WikiIsNotWikipedia**
+   stance in `spec/ProductRequirementsDocument.md`?
+5. How does c2's **open-by-default** community norm relate to shard-wiki's
+   L0 mode — coincidence of values or intentional lineage?
--- a/research/README.md
+++ b/research/README.md
@@ -10,4 +10,5 @@ when multiple files or sources are involved. Findings here inform `spec/` and

 | Date | Path | Summary |
 |------|------|---------|
-| 2026-06-08 | `260608-yawex-prior-art/` | yawex 0.7.4 Perl wiki prior art; federation design seeds |
+| 2026-06-08 | `260608-yawex-prior-art/` | yawex 0.7.4 Perl wiki prior art; federation design seeds |
+| 2026-06-08 | `260608-c2-wiki-origins/` | Ward Cunningham & WikiWikiWeb origins; terms and use cases |