Blog tech notes

OK, so a few people have asked about the tech setup, so this is how it all works.

WARNING! The following blog entry may contain scenes, depictions and descriptions of graphic technical content not suitable for non-technical audiences. Prolonged exposure may cause seizures. Viewer discretion is advised.

I’m using Wordpress 1.2 for the server. It is a php and mySQL based open source, open standards and free blogging system which I particularly like because it is fully standards compliant (XHTML even), very extensible, has rss everywhere for feeds (stories, comments etc.) and completely divorces presentation from data through the use of Cascading Style Sheets for the interface (so redesigning the site look and feel, I can just change it via css. No muss. No fuss.).

The installation is braindead simple on every linux and BSD flavour I’ve tried so far. Though I’m not using the features yet, it supports multiple categories, sub-categories, multiple authors, integrated blogrolling, pingback, trackback and no rebuilding (for those who have suffered through movable type). LiveJournal, Movable Type and a few others I checked out just didn’t cut it for me or annoyed me when I tried to change pieces of it or otherwise bend it to my will, so I’ve settled on Wordpress. Try it, you’ll like it. It’s very mature. They could use some work on the default style, but changing it is a breeze.

Client-side I am using the mighty MacJournal by Dan Schimpf (also free). I have been using it for the last 2 years since I went digital with my journals. It is an excellent piece of software, fast and not bloated. It also integrates very well with Wordpress. If I could recommend one piece of software that solidified my switch over from Linux, MacJournal would be it.

It lets me concentrate on writing. Allowing me to do so has probably done more for both quality and volume than any other little tool in my arsenal. I cannot praise it enough. Dan also outdid himself with the new development version and I can post directly from my journals to my blog. Now I’m just harassing poor Dan to integrate embedded pictures better even though I know it’s beyond the bounds of the Blogger API. I like MacJournal a lot better than KungLog which honestly felt like going backwards after using MJ. I raved to everyone I knew about MJ after I found it, and wholeheartedly recommend it for any sort of journaling or writing activity you can possibly think of. Check it out, you won’t be sorry.