Textpattern Moves On
Textpattern has now moved to RC4 RC5. Yay!!! The features added during it’s RC3 incarnation are numerous and because I update my install, sorry, my 5 installs, on an almost daily basis it is difficult for me to remember what is new and what isn’t.
There are many bug fixes and several additional tags however the most significant change has been to the comments list and comment entry form. Most of the hard-coding that drew many complaints has now been removed making for much more flexible and individual styling. There’s even a nice Thank You message displayed when someone has submitted a comment, but here’s the really magic bit. You can now place the comments list or the comment entry form (or both) anywhere you want to. They are not tied to the front-page/back page any more. You can place them with any article on any page template in any section!
Should I mention the automated thumbnail generation!
I have always considered that TXP is the best CMS out there but the latest additions have put it several jumps ahead of anything else I know and it continues to evolve. It makes you wonder just how far it can go. Dean has now been joined by Kusor, Zem and Sencer as a more or less permanent development team supplemented by many of the forum users in the form of patches and bug hunting. Even I am hunting the little critters these days. Found the odd couple too.
With the release of RC5 Textpattern is now in feature lock-down, so it’s simple bug squashing and code simplification from now on until the release of 1.0 Full.
I can see the day when this CMS becomes a better blogging tool than WordPress, and I don’t say that lightly. I have to say that I’m just plain enjoying myself here. 
Comments ( 9 )
The problem I found with WP was it was a blogging tool first, and a CMS with tables if you use a plugin, and even then a rudimentary one. I’ve been more amazed by the designs and ideas on TXP sites than WP, where I guess it’s been saturated with plugins, and themes. Has creativity and originality been stifled there? The review site is one example where TXP simply shines. I tried to do that in WP and cried and cried.
TXP – the Swiss Army Knife of CMS
Three weeks or so later I dropped WP and had integrated most of my original site with hardly any problems. The rest, as they say, is history, as is WordPress for me. It is an excellent blogging tool, as you say, with all the bells and whistles but I don’t need or want them. I have more important requirements which WP doesn’t provide and TXP does.
I am not happy with TXP mainly because it still frustrates me. Now that there is a much newer version with mo-better tags, maybe I should upgrade and then see how I feel.
But I’ve been investigating other CMSs to drive my web design site (e.g., Xaraya, Mambo and PHPWebsite).
As far as blogging is concerned, I still love WP over TXP.
Part of me wants to dabble a bit in everything. So that I become a jack of all trades, master of none. Rather than focus on one or two proggies at best and them become proficient at them.
I shall give TXP one more try. (Mostly because I’m a lazy old thing and learning yet another CMS makes my head hurt!)
Though I might just wait a while for the release version with my time being a bit limited of late.
On the one hand it’s good that they’re doing new “offical” releases but at the same time, it’s going to end up an RC every week which looks plain ridiculous – the most RC’s that should ever be needed is 4 – then it hits final (commonly it’s 3) but I dunno Stu. It’s getting a bit silly don’t yer think?