Features
Kiwix provides a rich range of features to help you to get, appreciate and share the content in accordance with your wishes.
It would be long and boring to list them all, here are the most important ones:
Portable
Kiwix is a portable application you don't need to install in order to use it. You can copy the Kiwix directory and put it wherever you want: your hard disk, your USB flash drive or a DVD. If you want a better integration in your system, an additional installer is mostly provided.
Kiwix supports a wide range of systems and architectures. You can use it with all main desktop operating systems like Microsoft Windows, Android, Apple Mac OSX and GNU/Linux compatible personal computers. With GNU/Linux, many distributions provide packages of Kiwix.
Kiwix is a really small and compatible software, you can install it on pretty old computers. You can also use it on minimal devices like the Raspbperry Pi or plug computers.
User friendly
You already know how to use Kiwix: it works like your Web browser! Kiwix provides all the features you love to use online with your browser: bookmarks, tabs navigation, history, zoom, key shortcuts.
Kiwix provides a perfect page rendering. Fully based on Web technologies, Kiwix allows to have a rendering similar (if not identical) to the original. You finally can enjoy Wikipedia exactly as if you were online.
Kiwix is translated into your native language. You don't need to learn English or have your lexicon next to you. Kiwix is localised in more than 80 languages and works perfectly with non-latin languages.
Library
Kiwix has its own library which allows you to gather all the content at first sight. Each content is listed with its meta data and you can easily open or remove it. Sorting, filtering and searching features help you to quickly find the content you want to find.
The library provides a practicable view over the online catalogue; you can download a new content in one click. This is the easiest and most secure way to complete your own local library with content coming from the Internet. At each start, Kiwix will check for new content, update online and notify you about new content available.
Search engine
Kiwix has many search features which will help you to come quickly on target:
- The full text search engine allows you to search over all the content. It shows you the results in a similar way like your favourite Web search engine.
- You can also simply use the title suggestion system which dynamically pops up and proposes articles with corresponding title while you are typing in the search box.
- Once you have found an article, the search in page will help you to come directly to the exact part of the article you want to study.
Web server
With Kiwix, you can share content on your LAN and even on Internet. Kiwix integrates a HTTP/Web server, which can be started on demand, directly from the Kiwix user interface. Then, all users sharing the network can simply access your content using their browser, without installing themselves Kiwix or downloading any ZIM file.
Called kiwix-serve, this server can also perfectly be started independently; it's available as a separate command line executable. This can be pretty useful if this is the only usage of Kiwix, on server or small devices. We use it, for example, for our Wifi hotspot solution.
Open
Kiwix is an open project, you deserve this openness. We think openness and transparency are not only needed regarding our users, but also the best way to deliver you the most adapted solution.
Kiwix uses open formats and protocols. Kiwix uses the open Web formats and the file format ZIM, which was created by the openZIM project. It's export feature works with a few other ones: PDF, HTML or paper. To exchange data on Internet, Kiwix uses only open protocols like HTTP, Bittorrent and Metalink.
The Kiwix project has adopted an open development process and produces open-source software. Everybody can freely execute, copy, modify and share Kiwix. You are rather invited to join and help the development, then it will really be yours!
See also