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Blog Software Smackdown: The Big 3 Reviewed
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WordPress
WordPress originally began as a fork of an older open source package known as B2. The original developer of B2 had stepped away from the project, so Matt Mullenweg decided to form a new project using the code contained in B2; he called that project WordPress. Like B2, WordPress is open source, which means that any user can modify the source code to better meet their needs. Because of its licensing options and feature set, WordPress has become very popular among bloggers. The current version of WordPress is 1.5.1.
Features
WordPress is written in PHP and uses a MySQL database to store content. This is great for most Web developers, since PHP is a popular language, and MySQL is a free and popular database. Like Movable Type, WordPress can run on a variety of platforms: most hosting companies will already have installed everything you need to run a WordPress blog.
Of all the software packages reviewed, WordPress was the easiest to install. The installation guide is called "5 Minute Installation", and it lives up to its name. You really can go from zero to blogging in five minutes if everything goes smoothly during your installation of this software.
WordPress is perhaps the most developer-friendly package, offering a very extensible base to work from, and a variety of plugins that add functionality to your installation. WordPress is also highly flexible in both its presentation and management, allowing numerous options in URL style (for search engine-friendly links), syndication feeds and formats, and offering easy-to-use theme and plugin management interfaces. WordPress also has better comment spam management features out of the box, which will make the security-conscious among us very happy. Here's its interface:
WordPress can be used for much more than blogs. WordPress's "Pages" feature lets you create pages that sit outside of the structure of your blog entries. This is useful if you would like to create pages that don't necessarily relate to the areas on which you normally publish (for example, an "About Us" page on a corporate blog), but which you'd like to manage from a familiar interface. With features like Pages, and a little extra configuration, WordPress can be used as a fully-fledged content management system.
Licensing
WordPress is licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL). This means that you're free to modify and distribute WordPress's source code as long as the code you redistribute is also licensed under the GPL. WordPress is available as a free download. Because it's free, paid support is not available, but a very friendly and active community is available for help at the WordPress Support Forums.
Possible Pitfalls
While WordPress includes better spam fighting features in the base installation than do some other blog packages, it's still a big target for spammers because of its large installed base. Taking further measures to combat spam through plugins is recommended.
WordPress may not be the friendliest package for a non-technical user to manage. WordPress's templates use PHP code, rather than a tag-based system, so it may be slightly more difficult for non-developers to change the look and feel of a WordPress blog than one created by some other package. Overall, the administrative interface feels more suited to advanced users than does that of Movable Type. However, if you're the type that loves to tinker, WordPress is probably the system for you.
Finally, WordPress has no multi-blog feature (like that offered by MovableType) in its official distribution. A multi-blog version of WordPress is available, but as of this writing, it's still a separate project and some may feel uneasy about not using the official WordPress releases.
Example WordPress Blogs
Below are some example WordPress blogs:
Textpattern
Textpattern began as the brainchild of author Dean Allen. Textpattern was created to ease the painful process of publishing Web content, and to make it easy for those who don't know HTML to publish on their own. Textpattern can be used to manage many different types of content, but its most common application is for blogs. The current version as of this writing is 1.0rc4.
Features
Like WordPress, Textpattern is written in PHP and uses a MySQL database to store content, which means that it will run on just about any platform that WordPress can run on (though Textpattern specifies Apache as a requirement, which WordPress does not). It also means that PHP developers can easily extend Textpattern if they so choose. However, what really sets Textpattern apart from the competition is its integration of Textile, and its Sections feature.
Textile is a tool that allows the easy formatting of Web content by those who don't know HTML. It's described as a "humane Web text generator" by its author (a demonstration of Textile is available). Textile makes it easy for those who don't know HTML to format their entries with headings, links, images, lists, and more using just a few simple characters, which Textpattern converts to HTML for publication. Textile formatting is available for WordPress and Movable Type as well, but for these packages, it's not the default publishing method like it is in Textpattern. This functionality makes it easy for non-developers to start writing quickly.
Another powerful feature that's built into Textpattern is Sections. Sections allow for the easy separation of various types of content in better ways than most normal category classification systems can. Each Section can also use a different template or style sheet, and have its own publishing settings, such as whether entries in that section show up on the front page listing, or in syndication feeds. This is very useful if you use Textpattern for more than blogging purposes. For example, a Web developer might use Textpattern to run his or her business site, setting up one section for portfolio entries, and another section for news and announcements.
Textpattern is also much more resistant to comment spam than both WordPress and Movable Type. Features such as forced comment preview (meaning that a visitor to your site must preview their comment before it is approved) all but eliminate automated spam attacks, and since Textpattern is used less frequently than WordPress or Movable Type, there are less attacks targeting it specifically. On a personal note, when my blogs were running Movable Type and WordPress I would have to clear out spam at least every few days. Since I migrated to Textpattern four months ago, I haven't received a single spam comment.
Finally, basic visitor logging and reporting capabilities are built into Textpattern's default installation. While most hosting companies offer visitor statistics, it's nice to be able to log into Textpattern and view your latest visitors quickly. Below is the Textpattern interface:
Licensing
Textpattern is licensed under a dual-license model. For personal use, Textpattern is free to download and is licensed under the GNU General Public License. Different pricing and licensing models may apply for business use; check the TextBook page on licensing to see if your application meets those requirements.
Possible Pitfalls
While Textile is very powerful, there is also a bit of a learning curve associated with it if you want your content to come out a certain way. This may catch new users off guard at first, but most people tend to get through the learning curve quickly.
One glaring omission from Textpattern -- one that both Movable Type and WordPress include -- is Trackback. Trackback is a technology that allows other blogs to alert your site when a topic related to one of your entries is published. Usually, a Trackback will append a link to your site from the other blog, which is useful if you are trying to become a well-known blogger. However, the downside of Trackback is that it can be abused for spamming purposes, so you may save time by not having to manage irrelevant comments.
Finally, at the time of writing, Textpattern's latest release is still not stable: it's a release candidate. If you're the type of person who must use stable software releases, then you may have to wait a few more months before you will feel confident to use Textpattern.
Example Textpattern Weblogs
Below are a few example Textpattern blogs:
Wrapping Up
Each of these systems has its good features, as well as features that may not be as well developed as those offered by the competition. Below is a side-by-side comparison of the considered packages, based on criteria that most Web professionals will look for in a blog software system. The rankings are based on a 1 to 5 scale, 5 being highest.
Which Package is the Right One?
If you add up the ratings assigned above, the assessment favors WordPress over Movable Type and Textpattern, but it's important to remember that no single package is perfect for everybody, or every type of content. The different strengths of these products make each particularly suitable to particular circumstances. Below is a quick explanation of a situation in which each package can be put to its best use.
Movable Type, while being the most likely target for spam, is the only option in many scenarios. If you need the simplest administrative interface, or you need to manage multiple blogs from one place, there is no better way to go.
Movable Type is also your only option of the three if you can't use MySQL as your database: it's the only option that supports multiple database systems. Finally, Movable Type is best for those who value having support and accountability from a single company -- something that can't be obtained with the open source solutions. Just make sure your host will allow you to install Movable Type on their servers.
WordPress is a great package for the technically inclined. If you're a PHP developer who likes to tinker with the internals of an application, then WordPress is likely right up your alley. WordPress is also the best fit if you want to manage static content through the same interface as your dynamic content -- thanks to its Pages feature -- and the flexibility in its configuration options, and easy setup, make WordPress tough to beat.
Textpattern, the system I've chosen, is best for those whose primary purpose is publishing content rather than maintaining a Weblog installation. It may also be the package of choice for those who don't want to deal with comment spam, at the expense of losing the ability to send and receive Trackbacks. Textpattern is also a great fit for general Website management, given its handy Sections feature.
No one package I reviewed is better than all others in all situations, though some do suit certain situations better than the others. If your blog meets the criteria I laid out for a particular package, then you should give it some consideration. Otherwise, try them all out, and see which one works best for you. The right package should be the one that optimizes the productivity of your Web content publishing: that's all that matters.