I’ve just upgraded the software that runs this site (it’s moveabletype in case you’re wondering!) and discovered a whole new look to my backend. Which isn’t nearly so eyebrow raising as you think, those of you with dirty minds.
I’ve always like moveabletype for its clean and simple administration area, so for a moment I was totally lost and wondering where all the menus had gone! But after a quick browse around I am really enjoying the new layout and the added extras.
I’ve used moveabletype on quite a few of my clients sites because it gives them a very manageable system that doesn’t drown them in features that they don’t need. And I like the fact that there is NO html code in the templates unless I put it there myself. So unlike joomla and its nested table debarcle (just try and use relational sizes for a td and see what happens in some browsers) i have total control over how the content is displayed.
The learning curve for mt is quite steep IF you’re not already familiar with html and basic markup. But once you are au fait with it, building dynamic sites is a breeze.
I have recently been using drupal for a client, and I have come to the conclusion that either I need to spend another year learning it, OR it should be flushed down the toilet forth with. But I think that my harsh opinion of it is that it’s a system for programmers to play with, not designers. I did find some of the management part of drupal to be very un-intuitive, and a bit “bolt on” in aspect. That could be true – it’s not often that a system get built from the ground up with the end in mind, now is it.
Joomla, on the other hand – is currently in my bad books for upgrading and making me learn a whole new way of building templates. However I think that there is a glimmer of light in the distance. The changes do seem logical and a step forward. I am only annoyed because I have had to learn it very quickly when I needed to upgrade 3 sites in quick succession.
Even though this is an antiblog, I do have a real blog hidden away somewhere. It gets a new entry once a month or less, and an average of half a comment per entry. But looking at the new moveabletype I am almost seduced into the idea that I could blog. Hopefully I will put that idea away quickly. But if I don’t – this system will make a much sexier version of my blog than yuku ever could.