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On the topic of blogs and CMS... Does anyone else think that Wordpress is getting too complex with all the added features due to it being open source? I feel

On the topic of blogs and CMS... Does anyone else think that Wordpress is getting too complex with all the added features due to it being open source? I feel like people like my dad, who would be happy with a very straightforward and simple-to-use interface without all the added features, are turned off by the complexity of Wordpress. I think a very lightweight CMS that would basically be a password protected AJAX textarea that could easily be embeded into any template would be ideal. No back-end interface or complex editing tools.

mojombo 18y ago
It seems almost inevitable that software projects become more complicated over time. Unless simplicity is a core requirement, complex features are constantly added to popular software (and rarely removed). By trying to solve a wide variety of problems, the number of options and screens must correspondingly increase. I'm really impressed by new approaches like Posterous that challenge the way blogging has been done in the past. It's these kinds of approaches that can lead to software that can be either as simple or as complex as the user needs them to be.
- jfornear 18y ago
  I agree, Posterous is awesome. It would be even more awesome if you could somehow just embed a little code on your own template in order to display your blog on your own design. As far as I know, you currently have to learn the platform (Wordpress, MovableType, etc) in order to make a custom design. I feel like there needs to be a way to have the blog fit into the design without having to code your own CMS.
  - mojombo 18y ago
    They haven't been around very long, I wouldn't be surprised if they figure out a slick way to address those problems in the future. I'll be interested to see how they approach it if they do.
  - rantfoil 18y ago
    Thanks for the support, guys. This is a great idea and definitely something we want to get to.
thomasmallen 18y ago
You may be looking for Drupal. The core is extremely light and you could easily configure it to do just that. Drupal's done a great job of only adding the most necessary features. I'd like to see them pull Book + Forum and add CCK + Views to core, but I think that they still need to keep some obvious out-of-the-box functionality for new users.
- jfornear 18y ago
  Thanks, I'll look into it.
- narag 18y ago
  I remember when I chose Drupal. I downloaded the code of five open source CMSs and finally decided to use Drupal, mostly because the code was the shortest and most legible. It has grown quite a bit since then, but I would still recommend it.
ionfish 18y ago
I'm not totally clear on one of your arguments. Why would it become more complex simply because it's open source?

mojombo 18y ago

It seems almost inevitable that software projects become more complicated over time. Unless simplicity is a core requirement, complex features are constantly added to popular software (and rarely removed). By trying to solve a wide variety of problems, the number of options and screens must correspondingly increase. I'm really impressed by new approaches like Posterous that challenge the way blogging has been done in the past. It's these kinds of approaches that can lead to software that can be either as simple or as complex as the user needs them to be.

jfornear 18y ago
I agree, Posterous is awesome. It would be even more awesome if you could somehow just embed a little code on your own template in order to display your blog on your own design. As far as I know, you currently have to learn the platform (Wordpress, MovableType, etc) in order to make a custom design. I feel like there needs to be a way to have the blog fit into the design without having to code your own CMS.
- mojombo 18y ago
  They haven't been around very long, I wouldn't be surprised if they figure out a slick way to address those problems in the future. I'll be interested to see how they approach it if they do.
- rantfoil 18y ago
  Thanks for the support, guys. This is a great idea and definitely something we want to get to.

thomasmallen 18y ago

You may be looking for Drupal. The core is extremely light and you could easily configure it to do just that. Drupal's done a great job of only adding the most necessary features. I'd like to see them pull Book + Forum and add CCK + Views to core, but I think that they still need to keep some obvious out-of-the-box functionality for new users.

jfornear 18y ago
Thanks, I'll look into it.
narag 18y ago
I remember when I chose Drupal. I downloaded the code of five open source CMSs and finally decided to use Drupal, mostly because the code was the shortest and most legible. It has grown quite a bit since then, but I would still recommend it.

ionfish 18y ago

I'm not totally clear on one of your arguments. Why would it become more complex simply because it's open source?