Introduction

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Welcome aboard. This document will introduce you to TiddlyWiki and get you up to speed.

[edit] What is TiddlyWiki?

TiddlyWiki is a single-file, self-contained wiki for managing micro-content, written in JavaScript.

If you completely understand all of that sentence, you should go straight on to the next section. For the rest of us, read on for the longer explanation.

It's a single file: A complete TiddlyWiki is stored in a single file on your computer, and thus belongs to the class of Single Page Applications. That makes it super-easy to move your TiddlyWiki around on a USB stick or by emailing it to yourself.

It's self-contained: The single file that is a TiddlyWiki contains not only all of your data, but all the machinery to edit and manipulate it. All you need is a modern web browser, like Mozilla Firefox or Microsoft Internet Explorer. You don't need to have any other special programs installed on your computer, and you don't need to be connected to the Internet.; The same TiddlyWiki file will work on just about any computer: Windows PCs, Apple Macs, Linux and BSD boxes..

It's a wiki: A wiki is a collection of web pages, like a normal web site, except that every page can be edited, easily and immediately. Wiki systems are often used to collaboratively manage documention for large projects, and also sometimes used by a single user as a kind of personal notebook.

It manages micro-content: Most web sites and wikis manage information as pages. TiddlyWiki is different -- it saves your stuff in smaller chunks (each chunk is called a 'tiddler'). Information in small chunks like this is called 'micro-content', and once you start usingTiddlyWiki, you realise that micro-content is a natural fit to a lot of the stuff you deal with every day.

To really get an idea of what TiddlyWiki can do for you, you're going to have to try it out. Don't worry — it's a single file, remember. So go on to the next section and we will get started.

[edit] Getting TiddlyWiki

Here's how to get TiddlyWiki:

Step 1: Download the latest version

The latest TiddlyWiki can be gotten by going to the download page. Follow the instructions to save it to your computer where it can be used.

Like it says on the page you're downloading from, if your browser lets you save pages in various formats, make sure you choose the plain HTML option. Remember where you saved it.

Step 2: ?

With apologies to Instiki, there is no step 2 — your TiddlyWiki is ready! Wanna see it? Go to the HTML file you saved in Step 1 and open it in your web browser. See? Ready to go. Leave it on screen, and you can jump right into the next section.

this thing about "no step 2" needs to be replaced with a walkthrough on getting TW past various security checks, like the unlock thing that you need to do with WinXP SP2, with a particular focus on win/IE. If anyone can post me the steps required for particular os/browser combinations, I'd be much obliged :)

Step 3: Profit!

cf. Wikipedia