Wikiwand
Wikiwand is a software interface developed for viewing Wikipedia articles.
History
[edit]Wikiwand (originally WikiWand) was founded in 2013 by Lior Grossman and Ilan Lewin.[1] Officially launched in August 2014,[2] the interface includes a sidebar menu, navigation bar, personalized links to other languages, new typography, and access to previews of linked articles.[3] The list of contents is constantly displayed on the left-hand side.[4]
Grossman developed it to overcome his own frustrations with Wikipedia, arguing that "It didn’t make sense to us that the fifth most popular website in the world, used by half a billion people, has an interface that hasn’t been updated in over a decade. We found the Wikipedia interface cluttered, hard to read (large blocks of small text), hard to navigate, and lacking in terms of usability."[5]
Availability
[edit]The interface is available on Chrome, Safari and Firefox as well as via Wikiwand's website. In March 2015, Wikiwand released an iOS app for iPhone and iPad.[6]
Funding
[edit]Wikiwand was able to raise $600,000 to support the development of the improved interface. The company hopes to monetize the product by integrating advertisements for textbooks, articles, and classes. It has stated that it intends to donate 30% of its profits to the Wikimedia Foundation.[5][7]
References
[edit]External links
[edit]- ^ "WikiWand". CrunchBase. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
- ^
{{cite web}}: Empty citation (help) - ^
{{cite web}}: Empty citation (help) - ^ "WikiWand makes Wikipedia beautiful". TNW. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
- ^ a b "Web App WikiWand Raises $600,000 To Give Wikipedia A New Interface". techcrunch.com. 2 August 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
- ^ Zach Epstein (18 March 2015). "New free iPhone app transforms Wikipedia into a stunning interactive experience". Yahoo. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
- ^ http://www.wikiwand.com/about