Weblog software
Server models
Many weblog applications are available for users to download and install on their own systems. Some of these are open-source software and some are are proprietary software, sometimes with a limited-usage version available free of charge.
Other weblog applications are offered only through their developers' hosts, either free of charge or for a fee. These typically include hosting service for the published blog itself, but some offer the option of using this hosted software to update a blog published elsewhere.
Clients
Maintenance through the Internet is a nearly universal feature of weblog software. This is usually done through a browser-based interface, enabling the author to update the site using the same client software used to view its contents. Some software supports the use of specialized client software to update sites, such an applet running on an internet-connected workstation or on a PDA, or a client that can run offline and/or interface with a variety of weblog server applications.
Desktop blogging clients
There are alternatives to editing blogs online. Desktop blogging software is useful for people who want to create, edit and archive their blog entries offline. Some of the most popular features of desktop blogging clients are:
- One Click Blogging
- Manage Multiple Blogs from One Point - Including multiple blogs on multiple platforms (TypePad, WordPress and Movable Type for instance)
- Image Management
- WYSIWYG editing
- Backed Up Content
- Spell Check
- Support major blog servers/engines
Some examples of Desktop blogging clients are Ecto, MacJournal & WinJournal and Zoundry.
Features
- Title, the main title, or headline, of the post.
- Body, main content of the post.
- Permalink, the URL of the full, individual article.
- Post Date, date and time the post was published.
A blog entry optionally includes the following:
- Comments -
Comments are a way to provide discussion on blog entries. Readers can leave a comment on a post, which can correct errors or contain their opinion on the post or the post's subject. Services like coComment aim to ease discussion through comments, by allowing tracking of them.
- Categories (or tags) - subjects that the entry discusses
- Trackback and or pingback - links to other sites that refer to the entry
Other applications
Most weblog applications have features such as facilitating authoring and editing of blog posts or articles, various linking and web syndication features, and the ability to easily publish the blog to the world wide web. Some services or organizations are also creating weblog applications with extended features to aid communication, such as the wiki capabilities in Socialtext and Traction TeamPage.
Many weblog applications allow the user to define static pages of content which can often be placed into a hierarchy or tree. Pages differ from blog posts in that the content is largely static and not time related. Pages are often used to present information about the blog and its author. Extensive use of pages can result in a blog that looks more like a website.
Most weblog applications support English and many other languages. The user selects a language during installation. Weblog applications usually offer web syndication service either in the form of RSS or Atom. This allows for other software such as feed aggregators to maintain a current summary of the blog's content.
Post moderation requires the people who want to comment on articles that are posted on a blog to be approved before the comments are visible to the world. It could also mean in some cases where multiple people have accounts and the ability to post new items to the blog that new content must be approved by a moderator or administrator before it shows up on the main page. Weblog applications use various user account systems that allow readers to post comments to a particular blog. For instance, users with Blogger accounts may comment on any Blogger blog. Other weblog applications allow users to post content or comments only to blogs where they have an account.
The Post API can vary greatly depending on the system that you are using. Some types of blogware have plugins for Firefox that integrate into the browser's menus so that right-clicking on selected text on any given webpage will bring up a small window that allows the user to post to their blog. Other types of blogware that do not have this type of interface require a person to fill out a form online. The form that is required for posting material to a blog depends on the type of blogware. Some types such as Movable Type contain a greater number of form fields and choices than ones such as Blogger.
All types of blogware support adding thumbnail images within blog posts. Photo blogging is a separate genre of blogging that deals primarily with images.
Documentation and support
Different blogware packages feature varying levels of community support and documentation. Because the installation of some types of software requires an advanced knowledge of computer administration, community support and documentation can be very helpful. The web servers and database software can be more difficult to install than the blogware itself. Also a strong and active community surrounding the blogware gives advice on integrating the blogware into a personal site.
Examples
A partial list of notable weblog software follows:
User-hosted
Software packages installed by weblog authors to run on their own systems:
- RatBlog - small weblog host and provider
Free/Libre/Open-Source software
These software packages are offered under an Open Source Software license. Therefore they are free for everyone to use. Also, commercial support contracts are often available.
- Apache Roller (Java-based)
- b2evolution (PHP/MySQL)
- bBlog (PHP/MySQL)
- Beta-Blogger (PHP/MySQL or text files)
- BlogCN
- BlogEngine.NET (C#/ASP.NET)
- blojsom (Java-based)
- blosxom (Perl)
- boastMachine (PHP/MySQL)
- Collablog (PHP/MySQL)
- dasBlog (C#/ASP.NET)
- Diarios Online (Windows)
- Dotclear (PHP/MySQL)
- Drupal (PHP/MySQL,PostgreSQL)
- Elgg (Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP)
- FlatPress (PHP/Flat Files)
- Geeklog (PHP/MySQL)
- Habari (PHP/MySQL)
- Horizon Blogging Software (PHP/MySQL,Sqlite,PostgreSQL)
- LifeType (PHP/MySQL)
- Livejournal (Perl) (Also available, developer hosted)
- Mephisto (Ruby on Rails)
- Nanoblogger - small weblog engine for the UNIX command line [3]
- Nucleus CMS (PHP)
- pebble (Java)
- Pivotlog (PHP)
- PyBlosxom (Python)
- Serendipity (PHP/MySQL,PostgreSQL,SQLite)
- Simplelog (Ruby on Rails)
- SimplePHPBlog (PHP/Flat Files)
- Slash (Perl)
- Subtext (C#/ASP.NET)
- Textpattern (PHP/MySQL)
- Typo (Ruby on Rails)
- WordPress (PHP/MySQL) - also offered in developer-hosted form as Wordpress.com
- vee (Bourne Shell, Vi/Flat files) - simple command line blogging tool [4]
Proprietary software
These packages are under a proprietary license. They may require the purchase of a license key to use them. The specific licensing terms vary but some are free for personal or non-commercial use.
- Community Server (also offered in developer-hosted form as CommunityServer.com)
- entity CMS
- ExpressionEngine (formerly pMachine)
- MacJournal
- Movable Type (also offered in developer-hosted form as TypePad)
- Radio UserLand
- Traction TeamPage
- Windows Live Writer - also offered in developer-hosted form as Windows Live Spaces
- WinJournal
Unknown license
Developer-hosted
Software services operated by the developer, requiring no software installation for the weblog author:
- Battle Blog
- Blog.com
- Blogger
- Blogging Systems
- Blogging Systems
- Blue Kaffee
- DeadJournal
- GreatestJournal
- LiveJournal
- Multiply.com
- MySpace
- NooBlog.pl
- Open Diary
- TypePad
- Typo
- Windows Live Spaces
- Xanga
- Vox
- Wordpress.com
See also
External links
- WeblogMatrix - Compare them all — Comparison of popular weblog software in a side-by-side table.
- Blog Software Breakdown — Side-by-side comparison of major weblog systems available. This comparison, while interesting, is from 2Q2004, and does not reflect the current scope of offerings.
- OpenSourceCMS.com — Website that hosts demo versions of open source weblog software, specifically those programmed in PHP with MySQL database support.
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