Textpattern vs. Movabletype

Textpattern is finally out! I’ve been waiting for months for a public release, as based on the interface alone its brilliant. If Movabletype 3.0 doesn’t match up, this website will be switching over to Textpattern. While MT 3.0 is in alpha testing, Sixapart is taking very long about it. The problem with MT is that while it does a whole lot more than Textpattern, too many of the added functionalities seem more like hacks than things planned and integrated into the CMS. Over time, Textpattern should also have a large number of plugins available which should cover just about all the functionality needed. Dean is planning to add subcategories to Textpattern, while MT will most probably only have them in the pro version. Textpattern appears to be BSD licensed, so it’s free for commercial use - another plus point.

Besides all the technical doodads, at the end of the day what really matters is the interface. When one is going to be writing, it helps that the interface is visually appealing and easy to use. Textpattern wins hands down in that department… although MT 3.0 will have a new user interface built with CSS.

At the end of the day, both fall far short of what the next generation of blogging tools should be like, although MT 3.0 shouldn’t be too far away.

Scratch the above. WordPress seems to be the only one implementing subcategories and other advanced features. Drupal already has them, but it’s far too complex. So its a three horse race now…