Made the Switch to Blosxom
Posted on May 23rd, 2005
Over the weekend I finally migrated this site from Drupal to Blosxom. Everything seems to be working, more or less, although I still have a few odds and ends to take care of.
This switch marks the fourth piece of blogging software I've used on this site. First it was MovableType, which had a great web-based interface and great documentation. Then it was WordPress, because it's programmed in PHP, and darn tootin' if I wouldn't be happier customizing PHP code versus MT's Perl code. Or so I thought at the time. Then earlier this year it was Drupal, also written in PHP and touted across the Internet for its modularity and top-notch code cleanliness. In other words, an escape from that creeping sense of doubt and "wow, this is far more complicated than it has to be" I had contracted from using WordPress.
With Blosxom I'm hoping to sustain the feeling that I've got exactly as much as I need, but can add more as needed. I found that I had too much when I was using Drupal— I over-estimated my needs. A full-on content management platform is great, but so is the simplicity of Blosxom's approach.
If I had to make a recommendation on blogging software, it would probably look like this: When you imagine your future site, do you see yourself in a browser from start to finish, more or less? Try MovableType or WordPress (the former if you don't mind opening your wallet for quality software, the latter if you do). Do you see yourself mixing and matching various building blocks to strike the perfect mix of functionality for your needs, having spent a fair amount of study time up front learning about how everything is put together and how the system works overall? Try Drupal. Do you want that, but with less of a learning curve and more of a focus on simplicity (in other words, are you more exited by simple text files than complicated databases)? Try Blosxom.