Fork: Difference between revisions

In {{tag|software}} engineering, a project '''fork''' happens when [[developer]]s take a copy of source code from a specific software package, and then start independent {{tag|Software development|development}} on it, thus creating a distinct piece of 'new' software.

The term '''{{tag|fork}}''' is also used in the '[[wikisphere]]'.  For instance, the above text was forked from the [[English Wikipedia]] wiki site!  Most [[:Category:Open content|free content]] [[:Category:Wiki license|licenses]] allow [[:Category:Wiki people|people]] to copy material in part or whole; to create their own separate versions of that content: be it a [[:Category:Culture|cultural]] work, a piece of [[:Category:Media|media]], software, or some intellectual pursuit.

Sometimes, forking results in [[fragmentation]], whereby two separate [[Wiki community|wiki communities]] have overlapping but divergent goals. There are strengths and weaknesses to this.  On the one hand, different communities can meet different needs, and problem-solve in new ways. This also keeps one cultural work from being dominated or controlled by a [[God king|single individual]] or small subset of [[User|people]]. On the other hand, fragmentation can create redundancy, and confusion amongst people.

[[Wiki]] forking typically starts as [[mirror]]ing, which is a similar concept; where one wiki site hosts <u>identical</u> content to another wiki site.