1) All software sucks, though some sucks less; 2) The software you just installed is the wrong one. 3) The more components a tool has, the less useful each individual component; 4) The harder the install, the longer you're likely to use it; 5) Choose the tool that is most likely to appear to solve all the problems of your next project, in order to get funding for said project; 6) Make up all rules on the fly, without reflection, and you'll keep everyone guessing, even yourself. And sooner or later, everyone will stop noticing you and you can get on with your work.
i.e. I need a tool for this encyclopedia that I'm putting together with folks, and I'm still torn between OJS, Drupal and MediaWiki. I need a couple months experience with drupal balance my experince with the other two.
LOL... I'm liking the second rule a lot. Except that with me it would undoubtedly go something like this: The software you installed incorrectly is the wrong one.
Well, to me what is going on with c-theory's alterego over in other web places is an example of the CMS hell and madness. There's one need, an online presence, which gets tired of MT, switches to something mysterious (wordsmith? wordforge?) and obviously not branded enough, and then puts drupal under its skin. interestingly, I noticed that not by searching for the little powered by note, but by noticing the familiar drupal sign. power of icons!
i have been watching, for a good year now, Greg Allen (http://textism.com) work on his Textpattern system. Another CMS. I got to like it, but I cannot say why. I like it though I never really used it yet, the beta version is to obscure for me. And I ask myself, why? And I do not know.
The world divides into those who rant about php-nuke's outdatedness, go through 3 systems in less than 3 weeks and feel emotional links with a certain brand (not type!) of software. and then there are those that blog on blogger cause it's easy (and here's the catch: boingboing was a simple blogger machine until last week).
It sometimes feels worse than chosing among 10 brands of peanut butter.
Pretty much true. Since I started to seriously look at online content in 1994 (I only ever used MOO, IRC, talk, Firstclass and the like before that) I've used everything... usually when it was new (longlist: parti, virtualU, all MU*, BSCW, knowledgeforum, CSILE, various BB clones, blackboard, webCT, 5-6 wikis, blogger, MT, greymatter, my own edublog abortion, WP, Drupal, Nuke*, PHP*, OJS), there are periods when you move quickly. I got sick of pornspam in MT, so dived into WP. WP is pretty cool, but I need a larger CMS for a project and Jeremy's pushing Drupal over OJS. I figure that unless you REALLY use something in your own space rather than play with it, your opinion is pretty lame, so I'm playing with drupal.
To be honest, every and all CMS suck so horribly I feel ill thinking about it. Each and every one is a symphony of the whims and wishes of the individual or kabal who have forgotten what a user is, or couldn't have cared in the first place. Drupal is 'install and pray' ware, of the typical geek kind. Lots of neat function, inadequate control over them, and an assumption that if half functionality is provided the individual can create the rest. The less you agree with this the more of a chronic geek who has forgotten that 'everyone' means more than people they know. When software is 'released' to the public, and is no longer beta, it is open to these charges.
Still, I may be able to hack drupal in to shape. If I can make it better than OJS, which really understands itself, then I'll stick with it. Otherwise it will be back to WP, which is limited but internally consistent at least.
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Eh?
Date: 2004-03-11 11:19 pm (UTC)Re: Eh?
Date: 2004-03-11 11:39 pm (UTC)Re: Eh?
Date: 2004-03-12 12:49 am (UTC)Re: Eh?
Date: 2004-03-12 01:09 am (UTC)Re: Eh?
Date: 2004-03-12 06:29 am (UTC)Oh well. I for one welcome our robotic Flemish weblogging overlords.
Re: Eh?
Date: 2004-03-12 01:11 pm (UTC)Re: Eh?
Date: 2004-03-12 05:45 pm (UTC)(Name drop. plop)
Re: Eh?
Date: 2004-03-15 03:50 pm (UTC)Re: Eh?
Date: 2004-03-13 03:01 am (UTC)Re: Eh?
Date: 2004-03-15 03:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-03-14 09:13 pm (UTC)i have been watching, for a good year now, Greg Allen (http://textism.com) work on his Textpattern system. Another CMS. I got to like it, but I cannot say why. I like it though I never really used it yet, the beta version is to obscure for me. And I ask myself, why? And I do not know.
The world divides into those who rant about php-nuke's outdatedness, go through 3 systems in less than 3 weeks and feel emotional links with a certain brand (not type!) of software. and then there are those that blog on blogger cause it's easy (and here's the catch: boingboing was a simple blogger machine until last week).
It sometimes feels worse than chosing among 10 brands of peanut butter.
no subject
Date: 2004-03-15 03:59 pm (UTC)To be honest, every and all CMS suck so horribly I feel ill thinking about it. Each and every one is a symphony of the whims and wishes of the individual or kabal who have forgotten what a user is, or couldn't have cared in the first place. Drupal is 'install and pray' ware, of the typical geek kind. Lots of neat function, inadequate control over them, and an assumption that if half functionality is provided the individual can create the rest. The less you agree with this the more of a chronic geek who has forgotten that 'everyone' means more than people they know. When software is 'released' to the public, and is no longer beta, it is open to these charges.
Still, I may be able to hack drupal in to shape. If I can make it better than OJS, which really understands itself, then I'll stick with it. Otherwise it will be back to WP, which is limited but internally consistent at least.