Ok, after hours and hours of research this weekend, I’ve actually decided to scrap Xoops and build the new WikiStudent site exclusively in MediaWiki! I had several reasons for not wanting to do this before. Here are some of the disadvantages:
* I won’t be able to easily capture detailed information about Unisa students, like module codes, and everyone will have to re-register.
* I won’t be able to integrate custom-coded plugins, like the Unisa second-hand textbook shop & past paper exchange, that I’d planned on writing.
But, I found so many great-looking MediaWiki sites, such as thestudentroom.co.uk, which demonstrate the potential of this great software, and I also think it’s a good move because:
* The Xoops MediaWiki plugin is a bit buggy (you have to use HTML syntax) and is version 1.7.1, while the latest MW is at 1.14.0 by now.
* There will be less confusion if there is only one website. Previously I mentioned my worries about having a blog, a website, and a wiki. Now we’ll just have a wiki.
Today I ordered another wiki book online, simply called MediaWiki. It should arrive in 2 weeks time. I can’t wait to learn more about this wonderful CMS!