… to take off from my blog.
First, my host changed to SUEXEC, which is good, because it provides my site with more security, and less change of someone else on my server from crashing my site. But the changes meant that my include_path in .htaccess was no longer valid, so errors were popping up all over the place. It’s not a big deal to fix; I just wish it was as simple as changing one line. Unfortunately, although I can set the setting in a php.ini file, the change is not recursive, so I have to do it for every folder. Forget that… I just changed to using absolute server paths for my includes.
Also of note is the Movable Type 3.0d debacle. The short story: Movable Type version 3.0 was announced as being a free upgrade in December of 2003. A few days ago, it was released… along with a pricing structure. You can still use MT 3.0 without paying as long as you have only one weblog author and no more than 3 weblogs. “Well, that sure screws me,” I thought, for Tempus Fugit is constructed from 4 actual weblogs within Movable Type.
I figured I’d have to pony up $60 for the personal license number I (which allows 5 authors and 5 weblogs). And that price is down from $100 (temporary discount of $20 and less the $20 I donated after I’d been using the software for a month or so.) Licenses for people needing more authors or weblogs could run up to $700 (or more!) The internet exploded with many reactions, a lot of them of the knee-jerk variety. Calming words were issued from such respected persons as Jay Allen and Brad Choate, and Six Apart “clarified” some points about their licenses. I say “clarified” because the points were actually changed in their license. Now, the term “weblog” refers to a site at an address, not a weblog as defined by the software. So even though 4 weblogs make up Tempus Fugit, it only counts as one.
But all is not well, as many feel snubbed. Snubbed not because they are all cheapskate products of the entitlement age who think everything should be free, but because the product was said to be free, and their expectations were so jarringly invalidated. I paid for the software back when it was available free of charge, and many others I know did as well. There is also the point, raised by Mark Pilgrim, who takes such things on a level of seriousness that not many can stomach (although I personally admire it), that Movable Type never was ultimately free. It was just “free enough” that no one bothered to make the difference.
This thinking has led me to think that I might be better off with a platform that is truly free, such as WordPress. Text Pattern is another good choice I am considering. Text Pattern is free to use, but is not open-source free. However, Dean Allen, its creator, has said that if he ever loses interest in the project, he will make it thusly free.
Another line of thought I’ve happened upon is this: I could pay for Movable Type 3.0 and just trust that the software will go in the direction I want. Or… I could pay $100 for a full-featured and more powerful CMS, such as Expression Engine, over which I have been drooling for a few months.
The problem with charging for Movable Type 3.0 is that precious few features were added. Expecting people to shell out that kind of cash for a minor upgrade is ludicrous. Again, it’s not about the money, it’s about what I get for the money. For $0, I get Text Pattern or WordPress, two promising PHP-based blog apps with active user communities. Or, for $100 (discount for switching from a competing product), I get Expression Engine, a full CMS with power and flexibility beyond my comprehension. Or, for $60, I get Movable Type 3.0.
Of course I don’t have to upgrade now. Nothing is stopping me from sitting on my current 2.661 installation of Movable Type for several months. That is likely what I’ll do. But eventually I’ll grow tired of MT’s inefficient perl code and laborious rebuilding, or I’ll itch for a feature that simply isn’t going to be offered. So I’m likely to make a switch. I was considering a switch before this came up, so this was only a very small nudge. I’m sure I’ll be using Movable Type (older versions, probably) for other uses. Despite its sluggishness, it is really a very easy-to-use program, and the community that supports it is phenomenal.
With regards to the updating of this website, I plan to resume posting on a daily basis, so don’t delete me from your blogrolls thinking I’ve died!
King of Fools says
Missed you, Mark. (Though I have not been doing much in the way of blogging either – too busy designing sites – MT sites ironically.)
I now have EE and am slowly working on converting MT layout over. So far it is going great…it is a nice piece of software.
My only real hesitation is that I would hate to lose existing links. It is possible to leave the old MT archives directory out there…but what I would prefer would be a 404 page which redirects to the post in EE.
Any hints on an approach to do this?
(If you haven’t had the opportunity to play with EE and want a look…I can make a user for you on my copy.)
Mark says
There is indeed a way to do it… but you’d use 301 permanent redirects, not 404s. The effect would be seamless… someone (including Google) goes to the old URL, and they end up at the new one. I’ve e-mailed you with details on how to do it in MT.
And a chance to check out EE would be great!