February 24, 2004 | View Comments (23) | Category: Our Thoughts
Summary: What would you like to see in future blogging software?
Today I was building some new sites that use MT and started to see some of the limitations when it came to certain things that I wanted to do. I wondered if there was a blog software that fit every situation and to my knowledge there isn't one. So instead I decided I would list some things that I thought would be nice to have in MT since it is the only blog software that I have used so far. Granted there might be plugins that support these features or they might be coming out in version 3.0, but I thought I would write them down anyways. Also, there might already be some software that does these things and if so discuss them please.
Many larger Open Source CMSs incorporate these features, but those are all too bloated for my tastes. What would you like to see from your blogging software? Any suggestions on what I should try next? Wordpress is of course on my list. Hearing some good things about ExpressionEngine, but paying $200 isn't going to happen right now.
Trackback URL: http://9rules.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/158
Wow, it seems to offer a lot of the things I was looking for by default. On my way to download right now. Thanks mh.
Scrivs (http://www.9rules.com/whitespace/)
Thanks for posting this, it will be good education. :)
I develop my own blogging software, Überblog, just because I like knowing all the details. I just feel more comfortable using software built with my own hands.
Something I put in that other software (that I know of) doesn't have is what I call, for lack of creativity, "entry types". Each type of entry (articles, quick links, etc) can be displayed independently of the rest, and can have its own set of categories, ping settings, etc. Those who have used it found it to be their favorite feature. From what I know, MT users achieve the same capability by creating more categories, but the obvious lack of flexibility is there.
ÜB also has custom fields for entries. This can be anything from the music playing when you were typing the entry to the order the entry should appear in the sidebar. I hear MT 3.0 will have a similar feature.
I also plan to implement cross-blogging and blog-synching. These closely-related features allow for posting the same entries across multiple sites, with or without attribution to the original site. It will use APIs provided by existing software. This feature is still in the planning stages.
I also plan on a lot of built-in functionality for displaying RSS feeds, OPML, and other formats just like blog entries.
I have a lot of ideas, and some of them are already taking shape. I really like the idea of hierarchically indexing entries that you suggested. I'll have to ponder that.
Disclaimer: Don't worry, I'm not trying to plug myself here. Truthfully, I recommend against using Überblog in its current state. It's just not yet ready for public consumption. It's only up right now for the curious.
Chris Vincent (http://dris.dyndns.org:8080/)
pivot is quite popular over here, doesn't do everything you want yet, but it's worth a try.
jadwigo
Pmachine already does automatic comment closing, time submissions and integrated counter. I am sure those features are in both the pro and basic versions so you can get them quite affordably.
Tim
Textpattern does sound very promising. I'd love to look into it but I just don't have the bandwidth. As well, I've been so intenched with working Movable Type to suit my needs I feel fairly invested in that at the moment.
I'd be very interested to hear your, or anyone elses, experiences with Textpattern...
Keith (http://www.7nights.com/asterisk/)
I've spent a few hours with textpattern today (after waiting months for a public release), and so far my only complaint is that there's quite a steep learning curve (it's very different to MT or anything else I've seen), with very little (read: none that I can find) in the way of documentation or a quick start guide.
I'm sure this stuff will surface as the community grows, and as the product moves out of testing.
My first reaction is that in some areas (like "I just want to edit that little bit right there"), textpattern is quite ground breaking. In other ways (adding of templates and CSS), it seems a little bit like a backwards step, but perhaps I just haven't seen the light yet.
Worth the download.
Justin French (http://indent.com.au)
I've only used Wordpress before but I really like it, it's simple to use and does everything I want it to do.
I don't think Wordpress has more features then MT though so it might not be what you're looking for.
Maybe there's other software ( non-blogsoftware ) out there that's more fitted for the things you want to do. There are many other (free) content management systems out there, have a look at http://www.opensourcecms.com/
Bart N. (http://index.percept.be)
I use wordpress and like it, but I can't recall offhand if it has any of those features you mentioned.
Pmachine is supposedly much easier to use now in the new version. I haven't tried it yet, and probably won't unless I end up needing some feature that wordpress doesn't offer that I can't write myself in a reasonable amount of time.
One benefit of moving to a system like WordPress is built-in search. And you can write your own search queries if you feel the need to do so. And since the whole thing is PHP, not perl, you'll have a much easier time tweaking the innards should you want to do so.
JC (http://thelionsweb.com/weblog)
Works pretty well... You have to use a separate interface to setup the parent/child relationship though.
Derek Rose (http://www.twotallsocks.com/)
Back when b2/Cafepress looked like it was falling into disrepair and before it officially became WordPress, François Planque started hacking on the code and created what he calls b2evolution. It has typically added new functions much quicker than WordPress including those you have asked for above.
I used it for a while before switching to WordPress and I believe it's definitely worth a gander.
Ben Kimball (http://www.benwired.com)
I recommend Absolut Engine.
For the curretn version 1.69 it supports timed publishing, on hold/publish status, 3 types of users, advanced image manager with auto thumbs, file manager, surveys etc.
In v1.70 (out in beginning of March) there will be module functionaility added (plugins if you wish to call it) with modules for RSS feed, surveys, RTF import/export, message system etc. You could install only modules needed.
dusoft (http://www.ambience.sk/)
"looked like it was falling into disrepair "
It never was! That was a horrible lie! How dare you impinge the glorious developer! He was giving his time for FREE! FREE, Damn you! You should worship at his feet and be thankful for the ground he walks on!
At least, that's the approximate reply I received any time I asked if anyone knew when the developer was planning to continue work on the project or if he was even alive. 6 months is a bloody long time to disappear when you're the sole developer of a project. B2evolution, last I looked at it, was still a hacked up version of b2 with lots of the same headaches b2 had. WordPress has gotten rid of most of those headaches. It has been several months since I looked at b2evolution though... is it still under development? I thought they'd stopped when the magnificent disappearing developer returned and dubbed WordPress his successor.
JC (http://thelionsweb.com/weblog)
ExpressionEngine, though not cheap, will do everything you require. I've been using it for a week now and it's fantastic - even in beta form. The developers are promising a short beta period, with the final 1.0 out in March, and quick development of add-on modules and plug-ins. They say the first modules will be for image galleries, then forums, and member blogs.
I'm a longtime pMachine user and many of the features that pMachine (and other blogging sytems like MT) lack, are in EE.
Seth Long
Why not write your own? It's not that hard. I'm doing a CMS as my very first php project.
David House
I would love to, but I got sites that I need to put out now and after all the dust settles I may consider it, but for now I need current solutions instead of fixing up my own.
Scrivs (http://www.9rules.com/whitespace/)
Playing around with the new TextPattern and to say the least the learning curve is a bit rough.
Scrivs (http://www.9rules.com/whitespace/)
I've been reading the ExpressionEngine documentation and it looks really nice. I love the custom blog entry field feature. That is the best part in my opinion. And for the project I'm wanting to use some software like this on, I was going to have to buy the Commercial MT License anyway and this is a lot better for only $50 more... I'll probably buy 30 day trial soon and kick the tires some more.
Derek Rose (http://www.twotallsocks.com/)
go textpattern!
the learning curve is not that bad, really. and the support forum is jumping already, even though textpattern 1.10 only came out yesterday.
your requirements of time stamp, automated comment closing, and bettter templates is there and easy easy to use.
wordpress looks good too. and moveable type just too bulky.
andrea (http://mellowtrouble.net)
I have been using Movable Type for some time but have been trying Pivot out for a friend and have been very impressed. It doesn't have all the features that you seek but seems to be a creditable alternative to MT.
Adrian Rinehart-Balfe (http://www.boogenstein.com/)
I'd love it if you gave Squarespace (http://www.squarespace.com/) a shot and left some feedback.
It's an emerging hosted platform that caters to the professional publisher. Squarespace does not attempt to thoughtlessly copy other systems on the market, as seems to be the case for many blogger-clone services wishing to make a quick buck. The Squarespace module system, along with Squarespace audiences, represents a very powerful blog publishing and small website publishing solution.
Squarespace is rather different compared to other solutions. It employs the StringTemplate library for generating site templates, which basically gives you a small, clean language to use when implementing your site's custom themes (all layout files are, of course, customizable). Squarespace is actually featured on this libraries homepage.
Give it a shot and let me know what you think of it.
Anthony (http://www.squarespace.com/)
Except that wordpress doesn't have any of the features he said he wants. The only thing that seems to is expression engine, which is a little pricey at $200.
JC (http://thelionsweb.com/weblog)
Keep track of comments to all entries with the Comments Feed
©2003-06 9rules, Inc. | Thoughts Feed | Notes Feed
Amazon Stores: Powertools | Jewelry | Books | Health | Landscaping | Kitchen | Movies
#1
MTCloseComments does the job for...well, closing comments.
Text Pattern, by Dean Allen, sounds like a really powerful cms. Its first public beta was released earlier today.
mh (http://www.eudaimonia.ca/index/)