50 quotes
When I was at Tek, I was frustrated that computer hardware was being improved faster than computer software. I wanted to invent some software that was completely different, that would grow and change as it was used. That’s how wiki came about.
Global collaboration is something that Wiki mastered in a small way and here we can master it in a big way.
Podcast Interview with Ward Cunningham (2006)
Over and over, people try to design systems that make tomorrow's work easy. But when tomorrow comes it turns out they didn't quite understand tomorrow's work, and they actually made it harder.
A Conversation with Ward Cunningham (2003)
A wiki is always in the process of being organized. But for every hour spent organizing, two more hours are spent adding new material. So the status quo for a wiki is always partially organized.
A Conversation with Ward Cunningham (2003)
People who understand their collective goals and values are pretty good at self-organizing -- as long as they are allowed to.
Podcast Interview with Ward Cunningham (2006)
To worry about tomorrow is to detract from your work today. Time you spend thinking about tomorrow is time you're not spending thinking about what to do today.
A Conversation with Ward Cunningham (2003)
There's been an awful lot of discussion about what is or isn't simple, and people have gotten a pretty sophisticated notion of simplicity, but I'm not sure it has helped.
A Conversation with Ward Cunningham (2003)
It was a turning point in my programming career when I realized that I didn't have to win every argument.
A Conversation with Ward Cunningham (2003)
Everything is subject to refactoring.
A Conversation with Ward Cunningham (2003)
The world is complex. That complexity is beautiful. I love trying to understand how things work. But that's because there's something to be learned from mastering that complexity.
A Conversation with Ward Cunningham (2003)
There is an art to knowing where things should be checked and making sure that the program fails fast if you make a mistake. That kind of choosing is part of the art of simplification.
A Conversation with Ward Cunningham (2003)
When you get in situations where you cannot afford to make a mistake, it's very hard to do the right thing. So if you're trying to do the right thing, the right thing might be to eliminate the cost of making a mistake rather than try to guess what's right.
A Conversation with Ward Cunningham (2003)
Anonymity relieves refactoring friction. Have learned that people want to sign things. But try to write in a way where you don’t have to know who said it.
Crucible of Creativity (2005)
My specific purpose for the first wiki was to create an environment where we might link together each other's experience to discover the pattern language of programming.
A Conversation with Ward Cunningham (2003)
The decisions I made designing wiki were very much inspired by my desire to create a model for the collaborative process I thought should happen in large code bases. I wanted wiki to mimic that.
A Conversation with Ward Cunningham (2003)
Wiki helped define the category of social software.
Podcast Interview with Ward Cunningham (2006)
We erased a problem by not trying to erase the problem, by saying, "This is in the nature of what we do." It's really weird that it could be that simple.
A Conversation with Ward Cunningham (2003)
A wiki is like a party that doesn't have to stop. It's a party that doesn't get crowded because new rooms appear when needed. It's a timeless party where you can try each conversation over and over until you get it right.
With wiki, you have to trust people more than you have any reason to trust them. In 1995, it was a safer environment, don’t know if I could have launched wiki today.
Crucible of Creativity (2005)
I actually enjoy complexity that's empowering. If it challenges me, the complexity is very pleasant. But sometimes I must deal with complexity that's disempowering. The effort I invest to understand that complexity is tedious work. It doesn't add anything to my abilities.
A Conversation with Ward Cunningham (2003)