Private Wiki vs Google Doc to share specifications for a team?

Question

My team is debating whether to put the specifications on a private wiki or in a google document.

Can someone provide me with a summarized list of pros/cons for using a private wiki vs google docs for team specifications?

My gut feeling is the google-docs is heavier and slower to use, but easier, while private wikis, like mediawiki, seem to be harder to set-up and run.

Answer 1

Depends what you mean by "better", and with whom you plan on sharing it.

I would usually go for the wiki, for ease of use and archiving and fast editing. However, you need to find one and host it somewhere, so if we don't really know what you want to do with more details, we can't really recommend one more than another.

However, I've resorted to using Google Docs for interview sessions, shared interactive meeting notes, or when my clients were not technically savvy enough and not willing to deal with a wiki. Plus the associated features (download to PDF, in-editor chat, and versioning make it great to use with non-technical uses)

To everyone their own.

Answer 2

Personally, I would use Google Sites (which is a wiki) over Google Docs.

And I would use the free Google Sites over a paid service until you require a feature which is not available in Google Sites (like tagging).

Answer 3

I'd suggest Trac (http://trac.edgewall.org/). It integrates tightly with version control systems, is easy to set up, and in addition to wiki functionality, it also provides a VCS browser, project management tools, and issue tracking - all things that can be turned on or off easily.