According to creator Ward Cunningham, wiki is “the simplest online database that could

possibly work” (Cunningham). As a new type of innovative server software, Wiki is not just

accessible to programmers and computer nerds; it is open for public editing and revising. Text

is read by, edited by, and used by everyday people with basic computer knowledge. Its intrigue

stems from its simplicity, user-friendly access and the new idea of allowing anyone to

contribute (2006).

    The first wiki site was made for the Portland Pattern Repository by Ward Cunningham in

1995 (2006). The origins of the wiki project started back in the late 1980s when Cunningham

wrote a HyperCard stack (Wikipedia). That particular stack bred into CrcCards (Cunningham).

Later the next decade, wiki's became more widely used and recognized as an interesting new way to

design databases. The Nupedia encyclopedia developers were motivated to use this new web form

to what is now called Wikipedia (Wikipedia).

    Wiki narrowly escaped being dubbed Quick-web. The originator, Cunningham, chose

the name “wiki” from the Hawaiian word meaning fast (2006 p1). During a stay in Honolulu,

Cunningham reports an exchange with an airport employee to take the “Wiki Wiki,” a fast

shuttle connecting airport terminals (2006 p1). Wiki is often referred to as an acronym for ‘What I

Know Is,” which is appropriate for a forum where users add, change, and contribute what

they know (2006 p1).