I'm one of 1250 lucky users to have been given a free license of pMachine's ExpressionEngine content management software. I signed up for the offer while I was looking for MovableType alternatives, and was fortunate enough to be one of the first 1000. To what extent I move over to ExpressionEngine is now a decision that must be influenced by many factors:
- Features
- Base requirements
- Performance
- Restrictions
- Transition time and effort
- Loyalty
- Future prospects
The truth is that MovableType 3 is, and will likely remain, out of my price range for the kind of things I would like to use it for. Nevertheless, there are almost as many good reasons to stay with MovableType as there are to switch to ExpressionEngine -- a product that's only really in my price range because I was given it for free. I'm playing around with a test install and trying to get a feel for the product, but the final decision will involve both benefits and compromises, whichever way I go.
Moving an MT weblog over to EE looks like it's going to be a job and a half. There's a conversion process for MT entries but most of my old entries are written in Textile 2 syntax. There's a Textile plug-in for EE, but it only supports Textile 1 syntax, and the conversion is performed on output, adding an unwelcome delay (I estimate somewhere from 2-7 tenths of a second per entry, depending on its length) to each page request. So I would have to find some way to convert every entry from Textile syntax to HTML to avoid an unnecessarily unresponsive website. There's another issue with multiple categories being interpreted as subcategories, which would be a problem for my other site. And EE doesn't support any APIs, which means I'd have to break my Zempt habit.
But my experiments with EE so far have proven to me that it's a much more powerful product that offers many compelling reasons to make the switch. I'm sure I could do a lot more with it than I have, or could, with MT.
Yeah, I know. It doesn't really matter all that much -- it's only software, after all. Both are good products. Neither choice is likely to be a 'wrong' choice. I should just make a quick decision now, and stick to it.
Uhh... I'll get back to you on this in a few days.
The main thing that would put me off EE (if I did happen to have a free version, which I don't) is the fact it'd cost me £149 if I decided to keep it beyond a year (and still get updates)... I see how the free version is tempting, though.
Yeah, that's a consideration. But if the worst case scenario is that in a year I have to make the decision anew, and potentially switch again, then it's not a particularly bad situation to be in.
It's $149 (~£84), by the way, not £149. Not that it really matters... I doubt I'd pay even the smaller amount for software with an (albeit less polished) free alternative.
I think it's time for me to write my long-planned wonderblog software. Check back in about sixteen years for the finished version.
I'm looking forward to it.