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May 22, 2006
WordPress install stage 1 complete
[I originally made this post on the new WordPress install, but have decided to keep that install tucked away until I'm officially ready to switch over.] I need to run to work in a little while, so the rest of the installation fun will have to wait until later, but I wanted to keep you posted on what I've done so far.
First things first, I downloaded the WordPress software in the form of a very standard, normal .zip file, and read over the installation documentation before started. It's a good idea to read over any documentation before you start, even if you are a techie type, because you never know what you're going to find in the process.
I also read over the documentation on how to import Movable Type posts into WordPress before even starting, to make sure there wasn't anything freaky I needed to do during the process to make sure the MT posts would play nice with the new install.
All documentation being square and equal, I unzipped the downloaded file, followed the magical Famous 5 Minute install instructions on the WordPress site, uploading everything to the server and visiting the install page in the admin directory. Everything went up in a jiffy, and the blog itself was up almost literally in 5 minutes.
The import was not as super easy, but still not too horrible. The newest version of WordPress (I intalled version 2.0.2), by all accounts, apparently has a way easier import process than older versions. However, the import documentation on the site has yet to be updated. My first stop for answers was WordPress Support, where I found an article that had a solution that should be used cautiously. I changed the permissions on the content folder before the import, which then went off without a hitch, and then changed them back after I made the import. In researching the problem, I also found post on the Disco Moose blog that helped a great deal (and affirmed that I wasn't going crazy).
As mentioned in the Disco Moose post, there are some issues as to how the page names translate from MT to WP, and there are a variety of proposed fixes on the WP site, and I opted for the method that made the WP names (post-name.html) more like the old MT posts (post_name.html), so's the individual link pages won't be broken, along with a plugin that ensures future post names (a.k.a. "slugs" in the WP world) will also sport the fancy underscores instead of dashes in their names. It has taken quite nicely, at least for now (I need to iron out some issues), but the category pages are still a bit broken. I'll work on those later.
I've spent some time making some very simple changes to the standard Kubrick design theme, and some other basic bits. I've also installed the Spam Karma 2 and podPress plugins. I'm having some problems with Page management (it's as easy to create or edit a web site page as it is to create or edit a post to your blog), but I'll get on that later.
Basic observations about my experience thus far:
- Generally, for the basic install, it's super easy. Super duper no-brainer easy if you're really, really comfortable with working directly on a server.
- While the MT post import wasn't one-hand-behind-my-back easy, it was one-eye-closed easy. It wasn't even nearly a smidge as ugly as the import I originally had to do from LiveJournal to MT.
- Installing plugins is easy, *way* easier than with MT. There's a bunch of stuff I never did with MT because I didn't have the time, patience, or energy to poke through stuff. WP plugins are way friendlier, in my opinion.
- The software seems a bit more usable and friendly.
If you're contemplating the move to WordPress, I'd say give it a shot. :)
May 22, 2006 3:00 PM