Ali spent some time wading through the Gnomedex blogs to determine what tools everybody is using. Not surprisingly, MovableType is the prevailing choice. Interestingly, WordPress, which I’m barely familiar with, is #2. I know several smart people who use WordPress, so I need to check it out.
Ali’s philosophy–check out what the smart people are doing–is an excellent approach, and one I try to apply. I was a lifelong PC user until I noticed my smartest friends (and not just the desginers) were using Macs. Now I use both, and I’m posting this from a 12″ PowerBook. If you look around the room here, I’d say at least 30% of the laptops are Apple. That’s well above the marketplace numbers, and so is a ringing endorsement of the platform.
When I started my first blog for family, I didn’t want the hassle of figuring out what I could or could not do with MovableType. I’d also heard good things about the GPL’d WordPress which offers “5 minute” install instructions; personally, it was easier than it sounded.
I’ve never really compared the two programs though.
My main reasons for switching to WordPress over MovableType:
1. WordPress is GPL & written in PHP which means I can tweak it as I see fit. I’m just not a Perl guy.
2. WordPress creates its content in real-time, which I highly prefer, especially for a blog. I’m so tired of rebuilding static HTML.
As for other features, it’s a trade-off. WordPress has some things that Movable Type is missing but the reverse is true as well. Movable Type IS a little more slick, especially if you’re running/hosting multiple blogs.
I have used WordPress once or twice. I have an installation of it just to try it out. I like it. Very slick but…
..Rog has a very good point.
Multi-blog is not an option (yet). Most wouldn’t need it but it is a “nice to have”. I was reading a few months back that multi-blog was on the list of things they will be adding but it wasn’t a high priority. The “why would anyone want that” attitude – at least, before the summer.
Overall, a good product with a good support system.
I just switched to Typepad from Movabletype. Just got tired of maintaining my own server. I’ve also played around with WordPress, and that it the BEST GUI I’ve seen on “free as in beer” GPL’ed software