Galaxiki
Encyclopedia
Galaxiki is a web
-based, free content
virtual community
web 2.0
project. It consists of a virtual galaxy
with over a million star
s and solar system
s that can be explored using a 2-dimensional map. Each star, each planet and each moon represents one wiki page, the idea behind the project is that Galaxiki site members, also called Galaxicians, can edit those pages and write fictional histories about them.
Galaxiki's name is a portmanteau of the words galaxy
and wiki
(a type of collaborative website).
The Galaxiki rules say that real world physics should be respected, but it also allows some popular exceptions known from most science fiction novels, such as traveling faster than light or using paranormal
powers for example. This also implies that species inside the Galaxiki world can meet (at least if their solar systems are in a closer range), which is a challenge for Galaxicians as they have to make sure to eliminate inconsistencies. Science fiction stories on Galaxiki are published by default under the GNU Free Documentation License
.
Galaxiki membership, editing solar systems and using all other site features is free. To finance the project, solar systems can be "freed", which means that Galaxicians can make solar systems writable by making a small donation to the project. It is also possible to "purchase" individual solar systems to make their related wiki pages read-only for all other site members. There is a dedicated page for sponsors or advertisers too, but the project itself states that there shall be only an absolute minimum of advertising.
Most solar systems are currently still locked, but new solar systems are open automatically for the community every day. When a Galaxician "frees" a solar system he/she can decide if the system shall become open for the entire community, or if the system shall become a private project. In this case it is also possible to dedicate the star or solar system to someone.
Galaxiki was launched as a prototype on March 12, 2007, it was officially launched on July 1, 2007. It was Linux Journal's ".org site of the week" on July 11, 2007, listed under "best websites in August 2007" on about.com on August 3rd, it was Yahoo's "Pick of the Day" on August 27th and it was one of the SEOmoz "Web 2.0 awards" winners in 2008.
In 2010 Galaxiki 2.0 was released, turning the site into a social network and introducing over 100 new features and enhancements. It now has over 5000 registered users ("Galaxicians") and there are more than 12000 solar systems open for the community or registered by individual users.
software under the GNU General Public License
license, although the extension made for the Galaxiki project is closed source. Both CorneliOS and the extra Galaxiki code are written in Perl
and make use of the Apache HTTP Server
, Galaxiki's wiki runs on a MySQL
database. Galaxiki currently runs on a single Linux
server in Germany
.
World Wide Web
The World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet...
-based, free content
Free content
Free content, or free information, is any kind of functional work, artwork, or other creative content that meets the definition of a free cultural work...
virtual community
Virtual community
A virtual community is a social network of individuals who interact through specific media, potentially crossing geographical and political boundaries in order to pursue mutual interests or goals...
web 2.0
Web 2.0
The term Web 2.0 is associated with web applications that facilitate participatory information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design, and collaboration on the World Wide Web...
project. It consists of a virtual galaxy
Galaxy
A galaxy is a massive, gravitationally bound system that consists of stars and stellar remnants, an interstellar medium of gas and dust, and an important but poorly understood component tentatively dubbed dark matter. The word galaxy is derived from the Greek galaxias , literally "milky", a...
with over a million star
Star
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
s and solar system
Solar System
The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
s that can be explored using a 2-dimensional map. Each star, each planet and each moon represents one wiki page, the idea behind the project is that Galaxiki site members, also called Galaxicians, can edit those pages and write fictional histories about them.
Galaxiki's name is a portmanteau of the words galaxy
Galaxy
A galaxy is a massive, gravitationally bound system that consists of stars and stellar remnants, an interstellar medium of gas and dust, and an important but poorly understood component tentatively dubbed dark matter. The word galaxy is derived from the Greek galaxias , literally "milky", a...
and wiki
Wiki
A wiki is a website that allows the creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor. Wikis are typically powered by wiki software and are often used collaboratively by multiple users. Examples include...
(a type of collaborative website).
The Galaxiki rules say that real world physics should be respected, but it also allows some popular exceptions known from most science fiction novels, such as traveling faster than light or using paranormal
Paranormal
Paranormal is a general term that designates experiences that lie outside "the range of normal experience or scientific explanation" or that indicates phenomena understood to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure...
powers for example. This also implies that species inside the Galaxiki world can meet (at least if their solar systems are in a closer range), which is a challenge for Galaxicians as they have to make sure to eliminate inconsistencies. Science fiction stories on Galaxiki are published by default under the GNU Free Documentation License
GNU Free Documentation License
The GNU Free Documentation License is a copyleft license for free documentation, designed by the Free Software Foundation for the GNU Project. It is similar to the GNU General Public License, giving readers the rights to copy, redistribute, and modify a work and requires all copies and...
.
Galaxiki membership, editing solar systems and using all other site features is free. To finance the project, solar systems can be "freed", which means that Galaxicians can make solar systems writable by making a small donation to the project. It is also possible to "purchase" individual solar systems to make their related wiki pages read-only for all other site members. There is a dedicated page for sponsors or advertisers too, but the project itself states that there shall be only an absolute minimum of advertising.
Most solar systems are currently still locked, but new solar systems are open automatically for the community every day. When a Galaxician "frees" a solar system he/she can decide if the system shall become open for the entire community, or if the system shall become a private project. In this case it is also possible to dedicate the star or solar system to someone.
Galaxiki was launched as a prototype on March 12, 2007, it was officially launched on July 1, 2007. It was Linux Journal's ".org site of the week" on July 11, 2007, listed under "best websites in August 2007" on about.com on August 3rd, it was Yahoo's "Pick of the Day" on August 27th and it was one of the SEOmoz "Web 2.0 awards" winners in 2008.
In 2010 Galaxiki 2.0 was released, turning the site into a social network and introducing over 100 new features and enhancements. It now has over 5000 registered users ("Galaxicians") and there are more than 12000 solar systems open for the community or registered by individual users.
Software and hardware
The Galaxiki software is based on the CorneliOS virtual web OS and web application framework, a software project which is run by Galaxiki's creator Jos Kirps. CorneliOS is available as Open SourceOpen source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
software under the GNU General Public License
GNU General Public License
The GNU General Public License is the most widely used free software license, originally written by Richard Stallman for the GNU Project....
license, although the extension made for the Galaxiki project is closed source. Both CorneliOS and the extra Galaxiki code are written in Perl
Perl
Perl is a high-level, general-purpose, interpreted, dynamic programming language. Perl was originally developed by Larry Wall in 1987 as a general-purpose Unix scripting language to make report processing easier. Since then, it has undergone many changes and revisions and become widely popular...
and make use of the Apache HTTP Server
Apache HTTP Server
The Apache HTTP Server, commonly referred to as Apache , is web server software notable for playing a key role in the initial growth of the World Wide Web. In 2009 it became the first web server software to surpass the 100 million website milestone...
, Galaxiki's wiki runs on a MySQL
MySQL
MySQL officially, but also commonly "My Sequel") is a relational database management system that runs as a server providing multi-user access to a number of databases. It is named after developer Michael Widenius' daughter, My...
database. Galaxiki currently runs on a single Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
server in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.